North Carolina Voter Guide 2023: Everything you need to know about the municipal elections

There are a few ways you can register to vote.

You can:

- Register to vote online using the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles website. You can use this method if you have an NC driver's license or another form of DMV identification. You can also register to vote at the DMV in person.

- Complete a paper voter registration application (available in English and Spanish) and submit it to your county board of elections office by 5 p.m. on Oct. 13. The paper voter registration application can be submitted by mail.

If the deadline has passed you can register to vote in person during early voting which begins Oct. 19 and ends Nov. 4.

To find your sample ballot and precinct go to the North Carolina State Board of Elections website go to the voter tools and forms section of the website and select voter search. Then put in your information as prompted and hit search. Your sample ballot and precinct will be listed along with other voter resources including your voter status. 

Photo ID Required for Voting

Voters will have to show their driver's license, but there are many other acceptable photo IDs. 

If a voter does not have an acceptable photo ID, they can get one for free from their county board of elections. Learn more at Get a Free Voter Photo ID. 

 Voters can also get a free ID card from the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV). Find more information under 'No-Fee ID Cards'. 

All voters will be allowed to vote with or without a photo ID. If a voter cannot show a photo ID when voting in person, they can still by filling out an ID Exception form. If absentee-by-mail voters are unable to include a copy of their photo ID with their ballot return envelope, they can also fill out an ID Exception Form with their ballot. 

Find more information under ID exceptions below. 

In-Person Voters 

Voters must show an acceptable photo ID when they check in at their voting site during early voting or on Election Day. 

Election workers check to see if the picture on the ID reasonably resembles the voter and if the name on the ID is the same as or very similar to the voter’s name in their registration record. The address on the photo ID does not have to match the voter registration records.

If the voter does not show an acceptable ID, the voter may proceed to vote in one of the two following ways: 

1. complete an ID Exception Form and then vote with a provisional ballot, or
2. vote with a provisional ballot and then return to their county board of elections office with their photo ID by the day before county canvass. (For municipal elections in September and October, this deadline is the Monday following Election Day. For all other elections, the deadline is the second Thursday following Election Day.)

Absentee-By-Mail

Voters who vote by mail must include a photocopy of an acceptable ID when returning their ballot, or they may complete an ID Exception Form. The voter places the photocopy of the ID or ID Exception Form in a pocket on the outside of the ballot container envelope, which is then placed in an outer return envelope to protect the privacy of the voter. 

Acceptable Photo IDs for Voting

Any of the following that is unexpired, or expired for one year or less:

• North Carolina driver’s license
• State ID from the NCDMV (also called “non-operator ID”)
• Driver’s license or non-driver ID from another state, District of Columbia, or U.S. territory (only if voter registered in North Carolina within 90 days of the election)
• U.S. Passport or U.S. Passport card
• North Carolina voter photo ID card issued by a county board of elections (see Get a Free Voter Photo ID).
• College or university student ID approved by the State Board of Elections (see box below)
• State or local government or charter school employee ID approved by the State Board of Elections (see box below)

Note: A voter 65 or older may use an expired form of acceptable ID if the ID was unexpired on their 65th birthday.

Any of the following, regardless of whether the ID contains an expiration or issuance date:

• Military or veteran ID card (with photo) issued by the U.S. government.
• Tribal enrollment card (with photo) issued by a tribe recognized by the state or federal government.
• ID card (with photo) issued by an agency of the U.S. government or the State of North Carolina for a public assistance program (Note: Although this is an acceptable form of ID under North Carolina law, the State Board is not aware of any such ID in circulation that contains a photo. All IDs for voting are required to have a photo.)

Free Photo ID Cards

All county boards of elections can issue free voter photo IDs to registered voters in their county. To be issued a free voter photo ID card, the voter must provide their name, date of birth, and the last four digits of their Social Security number, and have their photo taken. Find additional information at Get a Free Voter Photo ID.

Additionally, any North Carolina resident can get a free non-driver’s ID card from the DMV. Find more information under “No-Fee ID Cards” at State IDs | NCDMV. 

ID Exceptions

If any voter is unable to show a photo ID when voting (whether in person or by mail), they may fill out an ID Exception Form and vote their ballot. The voter will choose from the following permitted exceptions:

1. The voter has a “reasonable impediment” to showing a photo ID. This means that something is preventing the voter from showing ID. The voter must provide their reason by selecting from the following choices on the form.
   • Lack of transportation
   • Disability or illness
   • Lack of birth certificate or other documents needed to obtain an ID.
   • Work or school schedule
   • Family responsibilities
   • Photo ID is lost, stolen, or misplaced.
   • Applied for a photo ID but have not received it.
   • (For mail voters only) Unable to attach a copy of photo ID (Voter must include driver’s license number or last four digits of Social Security number)
   • Other reasonable impediments (if selected, the voter must write the reason on the form)
   • State or federal law prohibits voters from listing the reason.
2. The voter has a religious objection to being photographed.
3. The voter was a victim of a natural disaster within 100 days before Election Day that resulted in a disaster declaration by the President of the United States or the Governor of North Carolina.

County boards of elections must count provisional ballots with properly completed ID Exception Forms.

Absentee Voting or Voting by Mail 

Absentee voting allows you to vote before Election Day by mail or drop box. Learn how to get an absentee ballot, cast your vote, and meet voting deadlines. 

Get your absentee ballot from your state or territory. 

Visit Can I Vote and choose your state from the dropdown menu. It will take you right to your state's absentee voting page.

Your state may require you to have a valid excuse to vote absentee. Acceptable excuses vary by state. Most include:

• Being unable to get to your polling place due to illness, injury, or disability
• Being on business travel or vacation outside of your county or city of residence on Election Day
• Being a student at an out-of-state college or university

• You might be able to vote in person on Election Day, even if you received a mail-in ballot. Every state has different rules, so check with your state or local election office for the specific procedures. Typically:

  • You would take your absentee ballot to your designated polling place on Election Day.

  • Depending on your state's rules, you might exchange your uncast absentee ballot for an in-person ballot, or complete your absentee ballot and hand it in, or cast a provisional ballot. 

Check with your state or local election office to learn about other ways to return your absentee ballot besides postal mail. Some states have ballot drop boxes. Many let you return your ballot in person at your local election office or another location. 

Early Voting

Early voting allows you to vote in person before Election Day. Learn where to get more details about early voting in your state. 

Sometimes circumstances make it hard or impossible for you to vote on Election Day. But most states let you vote in person during a designated early voting period.

Use this chart to see if your state allows early voting in person.

• In most states, you do not need an excuse to vote early.
• In some states, you may need to request an absentee ballot to be able to vote early. 

Check with your state or local election office for early voting dates and rules in your area. Depending on your state, you may need to check under "absentee voting" if you do not see information listed for early voting. 

When voting on Election Day, voters must go to their assigned polling place. This is different than when voting early, where voters can cast their ballot at any early voting site.

Polling places are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. If you are in line at your assigned polling place at 7:30 p.m., you will be able to vote. 

The polls are busiest in the morning and right before polls close.

Finding Your Election Day Polling Place

To find your assigned polling place, click here to enter your information into the Voter Search. Or, search using your address with the Election Day Polling Place Search.

Sample Ballots

To view a sample ballot, registered voters have to put their information into Voter Search and click "Your Sample Ballot". You can practice making selections by going to the N.C. Absentee Ballot Portal page and clicking Option 4.

Voting Equipment

If you're curious about what your county uses for one-stop early voting, click here for the Voting Equipment page to read more about the equipment used and see the map for “Election Day Voting Equipment, by County.”

Voter Assistance and Curbside Voting

If you qualify for assistance under Assistance to Voters. N.C.G.S. § 163-166.8, you may ask for help at your polling place. 

You can find details about accessible voting sites and receiving voting assistance here.

Blind or visually impaired voters may request, mark, and return an accessible absentee ballot online through the NC Absentee Ballot Portal.

Voters living in a facility such as a hospital, clinic, or nursing home can receive assistance from a Multipartisan Assistance Team (MAT). The MAT includes at a minimum, two people who have different party affiliations (or persons unanimously appointed by a bipartisan county board of elections). 

The MAT will help voters:

• Providing voter registration services.
• Requesting an absentee ballot.
• Serving as an absentee witness.
• Marking the absentee ballot.
• Sealing the ballot and completing the absentee application.
• Mailing the voted absentee ballot in the closest U.S. mail depository or mailbox, if the voter has a disability.

For more detailed information, click here.

Curbside voting is available to those who are unable to enter a polling place without physical assistance due to age or disability. Learn more about the disability qualifications here.

Through curbside voting, a voter can cast a ballot while in a vehicle outside the polling place. Some sites also provide a walk-up area in addition to the drive-up area. 

Curbside voting is available at each Election Day polling place and a one-stop early voting site. Signs should be in place to direct voters to the curbside voting location.

Anyone voting curbside must sign an affidavit affirming they are unable to enter the polling place to cast their ballot.

After Voting

After your ballot is inserted into a tabulator, the selections are recorded on a media card in the tabulator. The results are then counted and reported publically on election night.

You can access the Voter Search for confirmation the ballot was counted.

The ballot will show up in your Voter History section after your county completes the post-election process of assigning voter history to your record. Note, that this process may take a few weeks after Election Day.

If you mail your ballot, you can track it by registering for BallotTrax.

When you register, the system will track the status of your mail-in ballot and send you alerts notifying you where your ballot is in the election process.

You can register here.