From a Ministry Moment given August 30 by Mike Soboeiro, on behalf of CUCC's Do Justice Ministry
Since the vast majority of us live in Wake County, I’m going to focus there, but every county in North Carolina is now required by law to have an online voting website.
In Wake County, the site is wakegov.com/elections/voters. All the info I will discuss here is contained there. You can register to vote, view and confirm your voting information, find your polling place, view a sample ballot, etc. there. The last day to register to vote in NC is October 9, 2020 at 5pm, however you can same day register and early vote at the same time on each day of early voting. To vote in NC, you must be 18, have lived here for 30 days and not be currently serving a sentence (or parole) for a felony. 16 and 17 year olds can also preregister.
There are 3 major ways to vote:
1. By Absentee Ballot (also called Mail-in Ballot). You do not have to have a reason to vote absentee. You can print an absentee ballot request form from the website. Be careful to fill it out accurately. It can be emailed, faxed, hand delivered or delivered by USPS or any other professional service (Fedex, UPS) to the county board of elections. It must be signed by the voter, near relative or legal guardian. You can request a ballot now. Mailing of ballots will begin September 4.
The ballot request form must be received by October 27. All ballots must be received by 5pm on election day, November 3. You can request an absentee ballot and still vote in person. The law changed in 2020, only 1 witness is necessary and it need not be a notary.
2. Early Voting. All info is on the website. There are 20 sites in Wake County all with the same hours. The sites are open daily October 15-3. All weekdays are 8am-7:30pm, Saturdays 8am-1pm and Sundays 1pm-6pm. The final Saturday hours (October 31) are 8am-3pm. You can same day register and early vote at all sites if you have lived in NC for 30 days and have an ID or official document showing your address. You can’t register at an early voting place then vote on election day. Same day early voting ballots are verified and may be challenged. You will be notified if challenged. Students can register in the county of their home address or school.
3. Election Day Voting. Election Day is Tuesday November 3. No photo ID is required. You must go to your assigned polling place which can be found on the website in your My Voter information. Polls are open 6:30am-7:30pm. Curbside voting is available at all sites if you are unable to enter the site due to age or disability.