MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — Tuesday is Election Day, and if you haven’t already voted you have one final chance this midterm. Rules on what you can and can not do at the polls can be confusing.
WCNC Charlotte’s Shamarria Morrison asked North Carolina election officials what your rights are as you vote in North Carolina.
You can bring notes, voting guides, and other reference materials to your voting booth in paper or electronic format.
You can also your smartphone to get candidate information at the booth.
"I use notes on myself, and then people will do that," Michael Dickerson, Mecklenburg County Director of Elections, said. "Or they'll have the picture of the ballot how they want to vote. That's fine."
There are restrictions to what you can do with your phone.
"You can't call anybody," Dickerson said.
You also are not allowed to use the phone to take any photos or videos of the ballot.
When you can use a provisional ballot
In North Carolina, a provisional ballot is used to record a vote when there are questions about a voter's eligibility that must be resolved before the vote can count.
You may need one for many reasons.
While you could vote anywhere in the county during early voting, on Election Day, you have to go to your assigned precinct.
You can ask the poll workers to tell you your correct location or you can request a provisional ballot. You can look up your polling location here.
"You can go to your new voting location, and they can call back to make sure that you haven't voted at your last location and will update your information there," Dickerson said.
You may also need a provisional ballot if poll workers can't find your name on the voter rolls.
"If for some reason, you're not in our poll book and you think you've registered, we're gonna go ahead and offer you a provisional ballot," Dickerson said.
Ballot Rights
If you make a mistake on your ballot, you have a right to a new one.
"If you made a mistake before you put it through the tabulator just tell the person there and they'll cancel it," Dickerson said.
And you have a right to access your vote curbside in some cases.
"If I can drive to the precinct but you know, gosh, I wrenched my knee this morning, I can't get out of the car," Dickerson said. "I can send you out a curbside ballot. You can vote it at the curb and then we'll take care of you that way."
Sometimes things don’t always go as planned when you go to vote.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections says they expect minor disruptions because of the sheer number of people voting Tuesday.
Things like power outages, printer jams, or water leaks seem small but can cause confusion and interruptions at the polls.
North Carolina election officials have backup plans in the event of a power outage, more people coming to the polls than expected and even voter intimidation.
"The instruction is that if you have a problem, yes, you can call 911," Dickerson said.
Dickerson says in addition to law enforcement, when necessary, staff and poll workers are trained to deal with these problems.
"Those folks will react and we've had it in the past where they react and take care of everything right away for us," Dickerson said.
Dickerson doesn't expect any widespread issues Tuesday.
In Mecklenburg County, thousands are expected to vote Tuesday, you have a right to vote without being intimidated or forced to vote in a certain way.
"I have field techs dispersed throughout the day, in various zones around the county," Dickerson said. "So that if something does come up there on the spot, to be able to take care of it right away sort of."
Polls open and close from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. You have the right to vote if you are in line by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
There are circumstances where the state board of elections can extend voting times. This happens when a disruption happens and the board deems a poll needs to stay open later.
If this happens the board will meet and issue a public notice to consider polling hours extensions. That meeting is open to the public and virtual.
The state board can extend voting hours at sites where voting is interrupted for at least 15 minutes. The board can extend voting only as long as the disruption and only for the affected sites.
Contact Shamarria Morrison at smorrison@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.