NC’s election laws have changed. Here’s what to know when you cast your ballot
Voters should be aware that new laws might make things a little different at the ballot box this year.
You need an ID to vote
First up is the big one: voter ID. Due to a ruling from the NC Supreme Court, all voters are now required to show a photo ID to vote. For most people, this means a driver’s license, but a full list of acceptable IDs can be found on the State Board of Elections’ website (BringItNC.gov).
Voting by mail? You’ll still need to include a photocopy of your ID with your ballot.
Voters who don’t have an ID may fill out an ID exception form when they vote. County boards of elections are required to count ballots with completed ID exception forms “unless the county board has grounds to believe the affidavit is false,” according to state law.
County boards of elections now provide free photo IDs to any registered voter.
New rules for NC poll observers
A new law enacted last year specifies exactly what partisan poll observers can do at a voting place.
Poll observers are appointed by political parties and sent to polling places to view the voting process.
The new law specifies that observers are allowed to:
- Take notes.
- Listen to conversations between voters and poll workers.
- Move freely around the voting place.
Observers are not allowed to:
- Tell voters who to vote for.
- See a voter’s ballot.
- Stop voters from entering the polling place.
State and federal law makes it a crime for anyone, including poll observers, to intimidate voters or election officials.
Up to three observers from each party may be present at a voting space at any given time.
You have less time to get your absentee ballot in
In previous elections, any mail-in ballot that arrived up to three days after Election Day would still be counted, as long as it was postmarked by the day of the election.
Now, mail-in absentee ballots generally must arrive at the county board of elections’ office by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
You cannot submit an absentee ballot to your polling place on Election Day, but you can deliver it in-person to your county board of elections office.
Voters affected by Helene have more flexibility with absentee ballots
After Hurricane Helene devastated much of Western North Carolina, lawmakers and the State Board of Elections approved some measures to make voting easier for residents affected by the storm.
Voters from any of the 25 counties affected by Hurricane Helene can now turn their absentee ballots in to any county board of elections office in the state — not just the one in the county they are from.
Find a list of impacted counties at ncsbe.gov/helene.
Bringing someone with you? They may need to sign in.
A new law requires that any nonvoting person who enters a voting place must sign a log and give their name, address and the time they entered. This requirement does not apply to any minors/children accompanying a voter.
