RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – The State Board of Elections released an improved North Carolina absentee ballot request form on Wednesday ahead of the November elections.

The updated form has a cleaner design and improved accessibility.

“This new form is more user friendly and one of many steps we have taken to make voting simpler for North Carolinians in the era of COVID-19,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “Whether by mail or in-person, we want folks to vote in the manner they’re most comfortable with this fall.”

NCBOE said county boards already received close to 300,000 absentee ballot requests through August 18.

The absentee ballot request form can be mailed, emailed, faxed or returned in-person to your county board of elections.

An online absentee ballot request portal will be read by Sept. 1.

“Through the portal, voters will be able to request a ballot completely online, with no need to print out or mail a request form,” NCBOE said in a release.

Important Tips About Requesting a Ballot:

• No special circumstance or reason is needed to request, receive, and vote an absentee ballot. Any North Carolina registered voter may request and receive a mail-in absentee ballot for the 2020 general election.
• Although the request deadline is 5 p.m. October 27, the State Board encourages voters who wish to vote by mail to request a ballot as soon as possible. This will help voters avoid any problems caused by U.S. Postal Service delays.
• Your county board of elections will begin sending ballots on September 4 to those who request them. If you have already requested a ballot and do not receive it between September 15 and 20, email or call your county board of elections to ask about the status of your request.
• If you’ve already submitted a request form, please do not submit another one, even if you get one in the mail. Duplicate requests are burdensome for county boards of elections and may delay the processing of your request.
• Along with the new form, the previous State Absentee Ballot Request Form is still a valid form for the 2020 general election.

North Carolina voters have three voting options: mail-in absentee, in-person during the early voting period, and in-person on Election Day.

The early voting period for the general election is Oct. 15 through Oct. 31.

Election Day is Nov. 3. Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

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