You can track your ballot in NC to make sure your vote gets accepted. Here’s what to do

Early voting has officially started in North Carolina, which means many are beginning to receive their absentee ballots prior to Election Day on Nov. 5 .

If you’re one of the thousands of voters planning to cast your ballot by mail , you can track its status from “printed” to “accepted.”

Here’s how you can make sure your vote counts this year.

How can you track your absentee ballot in NC?

Once you have requested your absentee ballot, you can track its status by signing up online for status notifications through BallotTrax , according to the NC State Board of Elections (NCSBE).

To register, you’ll need to enter your first and last name, date of birth and zip code .

After you register, you can sign up to receive email, text and/or voice notifications about the status of your mail-in ballot.

I’m having issues tracking my ballot. What do I do?

If you think there has been an error tracking your ballot, you should contact your county’s board of elections. To find contact information for your county, visit vt.ncsbe.gov/BOEInfo .

BallotTrax’s website says to contact the State Board of Elections by phone at (919) 814-0700 or by email at Elections.sboe@ncsbe.gov with issues.

When are absentee ballots counted in NC?

Returned absentee ballots are approved at absentee meetings of county boards of elections that occur beginning several weeks before the election, according to NCSBE.

In many counties, approved ballots are inserted into the voting machine at the board meeting, but in all counties, the results are not reported until Election Day .

I never received my absentee ballot. Where is it?

The State Board of Elections began mailing out absentee ballots on Friday, Sept. 20. If you never received yours, you should contact NCSBE at 919-814-0700 or elections.sboe@ncsbe.gov.

You can also contact your county’s board of elections directly. To find contact information for your county, visit vt.ncsbe.gov/BOEInfo .

How do I get an absentee ballot?

Registered NC voters can request absentee ballots by filling out a request form. You can:

1. Use the online North Carolina Absentee Portal by visiting votebymail.ncsbe.gov/app/home .

2. Print the form and submit it to your county’s board of elections in-person or by mail. The form is available in English and Spanish from ncsbe.gov/voting .

The deadline to request absentee ballots is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29.

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• If you have a question about the Charlotte area , send The Charlotte Observer team a question by submitting questions to this form .
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Early Voting has begun in NC. Here’s your guide to casting a ballot before Election Day