The Official Printelect Blog

For all North Carolina residents, it’s important you remain informed on how to vote in North Carolina. As published in the 2010 General Election Judicial Voter Guide, here are the three ways to vote:

1. IN PERSON, ON ELECTION DAY. At your assigned polling place, you will be asked to state your name and address and sign the pollbook before you vote. The polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. If you are in the line by 7:30 p.m., you will still be able to vote.
2. IN PERSON, BEFORE ELECTION DAY. From October 14 to October 30, you can register and vote at a site in your county where you can request and cast a “One-Stop absentee ballot.” You do not need an excuse for voting early. Every county has at least one site for One-Stop absentee voting; some have sites open beyond normal business hours. On Saturday, Octo-ber 30, One-Stop voting ends at 1:00 p.m., although some sites may opt to end voting at 5:00 p.m. To find out where and when One-Stop absentee voting is available, contact your county board of elections.
3. BY MAIL-IN ABSENTEE BALLOT. No later than 5:00 p.m. on October 26, you can request a no excuse mail-in absentee ballot. The request must be written and signed by you or a near relative (a near relative is a spouse, brother, sister, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, stepparent, stepchild, or mother-, father-, daughter-, or son-in-law), or be on a form provided to you by your county board of elections. A voter or qualified near relative may ask for the absentee bal-lot request form by emailing or faxing their county board of elections. A request for an absentee ballot in an election should include: Your name, date of birth, residence address, address to which the absentee ballot should be mailed, and if the request is by a near relative, the near relative’s contact information and relationship to you. Once a valid request is received, the county board of elections will mail a ballot directly to the voter. The voted ballot must be returned by the voter no later than the Monday, November 1, 2010. If you mail your voted ballot, it may still be considered timely if the return envelope is postmarked by No-vember 2, 2010 and the ballot is re-ceived no later than 5:00 p.m. on November 5, 2010; however, it is best to return your ballot by November 1.

You May Register to Vote in North Carolina If You Are:

• a United States citizen;
• 18 years old or older, or will be at the time of the next general election, or be at least 16 years old and understand that you must be at least 18 years old on election day of the general election in order to vote;
• a resident of North Carolina and the county precinct where you want to vote for at least 30 days before the election;
• not a convicted felon still in custody, on probation, or on parole. If you have served all parts of your sentence, you can register. Contact your local board of elections for more details.

Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections