GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — North Carolinians will step into the voting booth this Thursday as early voting opens for the 2024 General Election.
At the top of the ballot is the presidential race, determining who will succeed Pres. Joe Biden in the White House, but that’s not all. North Carolina’s highly-publicized gubernatorial race is also on the ticket, as well as the fight for who will be the new North Carolina attorney general and state superintendent, among many other state and local races.
For North Carolinians voting by mail, the state started sending out absentee ballots last month after a delay due to Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s withdrawal from the presidential race. That said, North Carolinians can still request absentee ballots through Oct. 29. Voters will need to mail their completed ballots so that they arrive at the designated county board of elections by the end of the day on Election Day. In the past, ballots could be accepted if postmarked by Election Day, but recent law changes have impacted that.
For North Carolinians who prefer to vote in person, the first chance will be Thursday. In-person early voting begins on Oct. 17 and ends at 3 p.m. on Nov. 2. After, you’ll have to wait for Election Day, Nov. 5.
If you didn’t update your voter registration by the deadline of Oct. 11, you can still update your registration during in-person early voting. Once early voting is over, you will not be allowed to update your registration for the Nov. 5 election.
For all of the dates you need, as well as how to get your sample ballot before you head to the polls, check out FOX8’s North Carolina Election Guide!
Where can I vote early?
During early voting, you can go to any One-Stop Voting Site within the county you live in.
Type your county into the search box below to see a list of early voting sites in your area including their hours for each date between Oct. 17 and Nov. 2.
Or you can find where you can vote early using the North Carolina State Board of Elections One-Stop Voting Sites search tool.
Who is on my ballot?
You can get a preview of your ballot by looking up your voter registration online using this handy Voter Search tool from the State Board of Elections. Search using your first and last name. You can also include your birth year and county to narrow your search.
Once you find your name, click into your voter profile and scroll down until you see the section titled "Your Sample Ballot." For the general election, you will only see one ballot.
What should I bring?
So you've looked over your sample ballot and you know where you're going. What else do you need to do to make sure you're ready to go cast your vote?
Don't forget your ID. North Carolina's voter ID law went into effect just before the most recent rounds of primaries. A valid driver's license, passport, state-issued identification card or college ID will work, though an appeals court recently ruled to disallow UNC Chapel Hill's digital IDs. Military and tribal ID cards are also accepted.
If you do not have a photo ID or don't have one with your current accurate address on it, you can get one for free from the State Board of Elections for voting purposes.
If there is any reason a voter cannot provide a voter ID, there is an exception form they can fill out.
Rules at the polls
Remember not to photograph your ballot or any other voters at the site. Campaign representatives and candidates have to be a certain distance away from voting sites to talk to voters, and if anyone appears to be breaking that rule, you can speak to someone with the Board of Elections about it.
There may be poll watchers at your voting site. The North Carolina State Board of Elections has specific rules that these people, who represent the various parties and observe polling places, must follow.
Poll watchers are generally allowed to be in the area of a polling place and observe the going-ons but are not allowed to look at people's ballots or interfere with voting at all. If any poll watcher or another citizen makes a voter feel intimidated or scrutinized for voting, they can be removed from the area, per North Carolina law.
All this information and more can be easily accessed with FOX8's North Carolina Election Guide.