Voting in North Carolina

League of Women Voters^®
of Orange-Durham-Chatham

How can I get information about voting in North Carolina and my county?

General Information. Absentee Voting. Election Schedule. Political Parties.

General Information

THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS is responsible for conducting all elections in the county. The Board administers, locally, State election laws. Principal functions include establishing election precincts and voting sites; appointing and training precinct officials; preparing and distributing ballots and voting equipment; canvassing and certifying the ballots cast in elections; investigating any voting irregularities. It maintains voter registration and participation records and provides public information on voters and elections.
(See Voter Registration on the county services pages for local addresses and phone numbers.)
TO VOTE in local, state, or national elections in N. C. you must be registered in the county where you live. In general, you must vote at the polls in the precinct where you live. Durham County residents who live within the Chapel Hill town limits, register and vote in Durham County in all elections, including Chapel Hill elections. Orange County residents who live within the city limits of Durham register and vote in Orange County elections.
TO REGISTER, you must be a U. S. citizen, 18 years of age as of the next general election, and a county resident for at least 30 days prior to an election. Up until 25 days before an election, you may register in person at your county Board of Elections Office or at any N. C. Drivers License Office when transacting business, or by mail using voter registration forms, which are available at public libraries, town halls, and the State Board of Elections' web site (see below). (Warning: Be sure you know what county you live in! Some Chapel Hill addresses are in Durham or Chatham Counties, and some Durham addresses are in Orange County) When the Board of Elections receives your application, it will mail you a voter verification card which tells you the name of your precinct and where your polling place is located. If you have not received a voter verification card within a reasonable period of time, call your local Board of Elections office to check that your registration application has been received.
(See Voter Registration on county services pages for local addresses and phone numbers.) If you miss the 25-day deadline for registration, you may register and vote the same day ONLY at one-stop absentee voting sites.
IF YOU MOVE, CHANGE YOUR NAME, OR WISH TO CHANGE YOUR PARTY AFFILIATION, you must notify the Board of Elections at least 25 days before an election either in person at the Board of Elections Office or a Drivers License Office, or by using the mail-in registration form.
If you move to a new county, you MUST register with that county in order to vote in the next election. If you move within the same county, you may be allowed to vote, but not at your old precinct. Prevent election-day problems by notifying the Board of Elections in advance of any change of address or by voting early at a one-stop voting site.

Absentee Voting

Any registered voter can vote absentee either by mail-in absentee voting or by one-stop absentee voting. Voters who wish to vote early may do so at any of the one-stop absentee voting sites.
Mail-in Absentee Voting:
An absentee ballot can be requested from the Board of Elections by mail or in person. Your spouse, parent, grandparent, legal guardian, child, grandchild, or sibling can make the request for you. Absentee ballots are available by mail between 50 days before an election (30 days if municipal election) and 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before the election. If the voter is permanently disabled or serving in the military, and the situation is stated in the request, a single request will be sufficient for all elections to be held that year. The ballot must be completed, witnessed, returned to and received by the Board by 5 p.m. on the day before the election.
One-stop Absentee Voting:
You can apply for an absentee ballot in person and vote it at the same time at the Board of Elections Office, not earlier than the 3rd Thursday before an election and not later than 1:00 p.m. on the last Saturday before an election. Call County Board of Elections for other one-stop voting sites and dates they are open. You can register to vote or update your registration information when you vote at a one-stop absentee voting site.

Election Schedule for 2008

Elections in 2008 will be for Federal, State and County offices. At the time of the Primary, elections will also be held for the Board of Education for the Orange, Durham and Chatham County school districts (but not the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District). Primary Election: May 6 (One-stop absentee voting: April 17 - May 3)
Second Primary (if needed): June 24
Registration for primary election closes: Apr. 11, except citizens may register on day of voting ONLY at one-stop absentee voting sites.
Registered Republican and Democratic voters must vote the primary ballot for the party in which they are registered. Unaffiliated voters may choose which party ballot they wish to vote; in case of a second primary, they must vote the same party as they did in the first primary.
General Election: November 4th (One-stop absentee voting: Oct. 16 - Nov. 1)
Registration Closes: Friday, October 10 except citizens may register on day of voting ONLY at one-stop absentee voting sites.
STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS

Main Switchboard: 919-733-7173

Website: http://www.sboe.state.nc.us

E-mail: elections.sboe@ncmail.net; campaign.reporting@ncmail.net

Executive Director: Gary Bartlett

Political Parties

Contact party state headquarters for name and phone number of current party chair in your county.
Democratic State Headquarters

220 Hillsborough St., Raleigh 27603

821-2777 Fax 821-4778

Website: http://www.ncdp.org

Libertarian State Headquarters

P.O. Box 28141, Raleigh 27611

877-843-5762

Website: http://www.lpnc.org

Republican State Headquarters

1506 Hillsborough St.
Raleigh 27605

828-6423, Fax 899-3815

Website: http://www.ncgop.org

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: August 22, 2008 09:00 PDT.