As the above graphic from Wayne County, North Carolina illustrates, that state is well positioned to be a battle ground during the upcoming General Election. Not only is it being targeted for its substantial number of Electoral College votes, but hotly contested state level elections (e.g., Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General) also add to the electoral intensity.
A. State Law Changes. State lawmakers passed a set of election law changes over the Governor’s veto this year that warrant particular attention by voters. As a result of the passage of SB 747:[1]
By Mail ballots MUST be received by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day (down from the three-day post-Election Day grace period in previous elections);
Challenges to By Mail ballots may now be made up to five days after Election Day (up from the previous Election Day deadline);
If an elections document requires witnessing, omission of witness related information will not be a mistake that election officials may allow to be corrected; and
New verification requirements on same day voter registrations now apply before the voter’s ballot may be tabulated (i.e., the US Postal Service must confirm the person’s address within ten business days after the election).
SB 747 also established a new poll watchers program which will allow up to three observers from each political party access to the polling place during in-person voting. For those concerned about this process, Attorney General Josh Stein issued an advisory on implementation of this law.[2]
B. Additional Methods of Voter Identification. At its August meeting, the State Board of Elections approved 12 additional student and government employee identification cards that may be used for voter identification purposes during the 2024 General Election. The newly approved methods of identification, listed below, are in addition to the more than 120 student and employee IDs already approved for voting purposes in 2024.
Brevard College: Student
Campbell University: Student Voter ID Card
Catawba College: Catawba One Card (Student)
City of Gastonia: Employee
Chowan University: HawksCard (Student)
Davidson-Davie Community College: Student Voter ID Card
Duke University: Duke Card (Student)
Guilford County Schools: Employee
Mayland Community College: Student
Southwestern Community College: Student
North Carolina Department of Administration/State of North Carolina: Employee
Western Piedmont Community College: Student[3]
Of the applications submitted, State Board staff recommended 13 for approval. Those ID applications that staff did not recommend for approval typically lacked an expiration date as required by state law. For the full list of acceptable IDs for voting in North Carolina visit https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id. The State Board held for further consider the UNC-Chapel Hill’s Mobile UNC One Card but subsequently approved that option as well.[4]
Under state law, public and private colleges and universities may apply to the State Board to have their student IDs approved for voting. State and local government entities - including public colleges, universities, and charter schools – also may apply to the State Board to have their employee IDs approved for voting purposes.
C. State Board of Elections Voter Checklist. The State Board of Elections offers the following eight tips and reminders to voters and prospective voters during this time:
1. Check your registration. The State Board encourages all voters to check their voter registration using the Voter Search tool.[5] This will ensure that voters know if they need to make any updates to their registration in time to vote. For details about information available through the Voter Search tool, go to Your Voter Record.[6]
2. Requirements for registering to vote. To be eligible to register to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen; live in the county where you are registering for at least 30 days prior to Election Day; be at least 18 years old by the date of the General Election; and not be serving a felony sentence, including any probation, post-release supervision, or parole.
3. Register to vote. Existing North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicle (NCDMV) customers who are eligible to vote can submit a voter registration application online through the NCDMV website.[7] Eligible individuals also can fill out and print a paper application in English or Spanish and mail it or return it in person to their county board of elections:[8]
4. Registration deadlines. The deadline to register to vote on Election Day in the 2024 general election is 5 p.m. Friday, October 11. If you miss that deadline, you may still register and vote or make changes to your registration during the Early Voting period at any Early Voting site in your county. The Early Voting period begins Thursday, October 17, and ends at 3 p.m. Saturday, November 2. For sites and schedules by county, see Early Voting Site Search.[9]
5. You do not need to re-register if you are currently registered to vote. If you are already registered to vote, you do not need to re-register for any reason. You also do not have to turn in a new voter registration form every two years just to stay registered. The only time you need to re-register to vote is if you are no longer registered . If you are already registered to vote, and someone tries to convince you that you must re-register, that is not true. If you have questions about your registration, you should contact your county board of elections.
6. Third party registration mailings. Nonprofit groups are starting to send hundreds of thousands of mailers to North Carolina residents encouraging them to register or update their registration. The data they use to create their mailing lists is not always precise, so it’s possible that voters who are already registered or ineligible individuals may receive these mailings. Voters who are already registered do not need to re-register. Ineligible individuals should not attempt to register. North Carolina election officials do not send mass mailings to encourage voter registration. Voters with questions or concerns should contact the organization that sent the mailing.
7. Updating a registration. Existing NCDMV customers can use the online registration service to update their address or party affiliation. If your name has changed, though, you’ll need to update that with a paper voter registration form. Any voter can fill out a paper voter registration application and return it to their county board of elections.
8. Canceling a registration. Any individual who is on the registration rolls but is not eligible to vote, or desires to no longer be registered, may cancel their registration by filling out the Cancellation of Voter Registration Form (PDF)[10] and returning it to the county board of elections where they are registered. Near relatives of a deceased voter, or the personal representative of a deceased voter’s estate, may cancel a deceased voter’s registration by filling out the Notification of Deceased Voter Form (PDF),[11] and submitting it to the deceased voter’s county board of elections.
Posting this as I do all your voter info. Thanks.