NC voting by mail begins for most this week. What to know if you cast an absentee ballot
As North Carolina election workers begin sending out absentee ballots to all voters who’ve requested them, the State Board of Elections is reminding voters about key deadlines, changes to election law and more to ensure that their ballots are counted.
Absentee voting has begun
The first absentee ballots were sent out on Friday to military and overseas voters.
More than 100 of those ballots have been returned, meaning the first votes of the 2024 election have already been cast, Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections, told reporters on Monday.
Absentee ballots will begin going out to all other voters who’ve requested them on Tuesday. According to the State Board of Elections, over 207,000 voters have already requested absentee ballots as of Monday.
When were absentee ballots supposed to go out?
Absentee ballots were supposed to go out on Sept. 6, but the vote-by-mail period was delayed in North Carolina due to a lawsuit involving third-party presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
After spending months attempting to get on the state’s presidential ballot, Kennedy suspended his campaign in North Carolina last month and launched an effort to have his name removed from the ballot.
The issue went all the way to the state Supreme Court, which ruled in a 4-3 decision that his name must be removed, delaying absentee voting by two weeks and costing counties hundreds of thousands of dollars in reprinting expenses.
The state board complied and was able to send out military and overseas absentee ballots one day before the federal deadline, which is Sept. 21.
“I really cannot sing the praises enough for the state board staff and for the county boards of elections who have worked extra hours through the weekends, late into the night, to make sure that we could reach the federal deadline,” Brinson Bell said.
Can I still request an absentee ballot?
Yes. Voters can request an absentee ballot until Tuesday, Oct. 29.
These can be requested online using the state board’s absentee ballot portal or by filling out a paper request form (also available on the state board’s website) and bringing it to the local county board of elections.
The State Board of Elections encourages voters to make their request as soon as possible to ensure they have enough time to fill out their ballot and return it.
Can anyone request an absentee ballot?
Anyone who is a registered voter who has not already voted using a different method can request an absentee ballot.
The deadline to register to vote in this election is Oct. 11 at 5 p.m. Prospective voters can register online, in person at the DMV or by mail.
How do I fill out my absentee ballot?
Voters choose their preferred candidates on an absentee ballot in the same way they would on a ballot in person.
However, they must fill it out in the presence of two witnesses or a notary public, who must sign the ballot envelope.
Also, North Carolina’s voter ID law still applies for absentee voting.
Voters will have to include a photocopy of an acceptable form of voter ID alongside their ballot. Voters without an ID can fill out an ID exception form and return that with their ballot.
When do absentee ballots have to be returned by?
Absentee ballots must be returned to a voter’s county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5.
This is different than previous elections.
North Carolina law used to instruct election officials to count any absentee ballots that came in within three days of Election Day, so long as they were postmarked by Election Day.
This is no longer the case, and any absentee ballots that come in after 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5 will not be counted.
Brinson Bell encouraged anyone voting by mail to put their completed ballot in the mail at least a week before Election Day to ensure it arrives in time.
Voters or their near relative can also hand-deliver absentee ballots to an early voting site or to their county board of elections office.
Absentee voters can track their ballot using an online service called BallotTrax.
What if I decide I want to vote in person instead?
If a voter requests an absentee ballot, but then decides to vote in person instead, they are allowed to do so.
If a voter chooses to do this, they must destroy or discard their absentee ballot.
Are absentee ballots safe?
Several layers of safeguards are in place to prevent fraud or voter suppression when using absentee ballots.
As previously mentioned, voters using an absentee ballot must have two witnesses or a notary public in addition to a form of voter ID.
Also, absentee ballots will only be sent to registered voters who have requested them. The absentee request form requires voters to provide identifying information that is validated before a ballot is sent out.
When ballots are received by county boards of elections — which have members from both major political parties — they will be reviewed to ensure the voter complied with all legal requirements. After having their absentee ballot accepted, a voter will not be able to vote in person.
“Put simply, absentee voting is safe and secure in North Carolina and many laws and processes work together to ensure security in the absentee voting process,” Brinson Bell said.
This story was originally published September 23, 2024 at 3:48 PM with the headline "NC voting by mail begins for most this week. What to know if you cast an absentee ballot."
