Voter registration deadline arrives in North Carolina! When does early voting start and what do you need to vote?

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — The deadline for voter registration is upon us here in North Carolina, but don’t fret! There are still chances to update your information.

While absentee ballots started going out last month after a delay due to Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s withdrawal from the presidential race , North Carolinians can still request absentee ballots through Oct. 29. Voters will need to mail their completed ballots so that they arrive at the designated county board of elections by the end of the day on Election Day. In the past, ballots could be accepted if postmarked by Election Day, but recent law changes have impacted that.

The deadline to update your voter registration is Friday, Oct. 11, but if you can’t get it done in time, you can also update your registration during in-person early voting, which starts on Oct. 17 and runs through Nov. 3.

While the presidential race is the the top of the ballot, North Carolina’s highly-publicized gubernatorial race is also on the ticket, as well as the fight for who will be the new North Carolina attorney general and state superintendent .

For all of the dates you need, as well as how to get your sample ballot before you head to the polls, check out FOX8’s North Carolina Election Guide!

What you need

So you’ve looked over your sample ballot and you’ve located your polling place. What else do you need to do to make sure you’re ready to go cast your vote?

Don’t forget your ID. The voter ID law went into effect just before the most recent rounds of primaries. A valid driver’s license, passport, state-issued identification card or college ID will work, though an appeals court recently ruled to disallow UNC Chapel Hill’s digital IDs . Military and tribal ID cards are also accepted.

If you do not have a photo ID, or don’t have one with your current accurate address on it, you can get one for free from the State Board of Elections for voting purposes.

If there is any reason a voter cannot provide a voter ID, there is an exception form they can fill out.

Rules at the polls

Remember not to photograph your ballot or any other voters at the site. Campaign representatives and candidates have to be a certain distance away from voting sites to talk to voters, and if anyone appears to be breaking that rule, you can speak to someone with the Board of Elections about it.

There may be poll watchers at your voting site. The North Carolina State Board of Elections has specific rules that these people, who represent the various parties and observe polling places, must follow.

Poll watchers are generally allowed to be in the area of a polling place and observe the going-ons but are not allowed to look at people’s ballots or interfere with voting at all. If any poll watcher or another citizen makes a voter feel intimidated or scrutinized for voting, they can be removed from the area, per North Carolina law.

All this information and more can be easily accessed with FOX8’s North Carolina Election Guide .

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