Essential Guide to the 2024 Elections in North Carolina 

North Carolina elections will be held on Tuesday November 5, 2024 . However, you can cast your vote in advance through the following methods:

Early in-person voting: October 17 through November 2.

Vote by mail: You can request your ballot between September 6 and October 29, and return it until Election Day at 7:30 p.m.

To be eligible to vote in the 2024 elections in North Carolina you must meet the following requirements:

• Be a citizen of the United States.
• Be at least 18 years of age or turn XNUMX before Election Day.
• Not serving a sentence for a felony, including those on probation or supervision.
• Be registered to vote

The answer is: it depends. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens by birth, but they can only vote in presidential elections if they reside in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia. For that reason, if you were born in Puerto Rico but reside in North Carolina, you have the right to vote at the federal, state and local levels.

If you are eligible to vote, you have three options to register:

• You can complete a Paper Voter Registration Application in Spanish or English, print it, sign it, and return it in person or by mail to the office of the your county board of elections before 5:00 pm on Friday, October 11.
• If you have a North Carolina driver's license or other DMV ID, you can register Online contact or in person at the DMV. You must also do so before 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 11.
• You have the option to register in person during the early voting period. This is an option that not only allows you to register and vote in one step, but also to do so after the regular registration period has expired. In that case, if you want to register and vote early, you have until November 2 at 3 p.m.

Please note that the deadline to register to vote in the general election is October 11.

You have until October 11 to register. 

However, if you have already missed that deadline, don't worry. You have another alternative, which is to use early voting, which allows you to register after the registration deadline and vote in one step. Early voting ends on November 2.

Of course. You don't need to have participated in the primaries to be able to vote in the general elections.

You have time to vote early for these elections from October 17th until November 2nd at 3 pm

This is a very convenient modality, since allows you to register and vote in one step.  If the deadline to register, which is October 11, has already passed, you can still register and vote through early voting.

Early voting locations and times are posted on the official website of each county's board of elections. You can find yours through the State Board of Elections site. Simply enter your county in the search engine. The tool will show you the options for places and times where you can vote. Right there you will be able to find out if your municipality is currently holding elections or not.

First step: request the absentee ballot.  The deadline to apply is 5:00 pm on October 29. You can apply in paper form by printing this form, completing it and sending it to your county Board of Elections. You can also request it online through the vote by mail tool from the County Board of Elections. Once the County Board of Elections receives your vote-by-mail application form, they will send the ballot and an envelope to your home address. 

Second step: Complete the ballot.  You must do it in the presence of two witnesses. Witnesses should see that you completed the ballot, but NOT who you voted for. 

Third step: Return the ballot.  You must place the ballot in the envelope sent to you by the Electoral Board, accompanied by a copy of valid photo identification. The envelope must be signed in your handwriting by you as well as by the two witnesses. The ballot must be returned to the Electoral Board before November 5th at 7:30 pm

Remember that if you need assistance completing the ballot, you can receive help from a close relative. This can be especially helpful for people who don't speak English.

[CLARIFICATION] As of September 12, 2024, mail-in voting is on hold in North Carolina. The reason? Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of the We The People party decided to withdraw from the electoral race, so the authorities will have to generate new ballots in which he is not included.  

When will mail-in ballots be sent out?

In the words of the Board of Elections: “It is not known for certain when all 100 counties will have new ballots ready to send to absentee voters. When that happens, all counties will begin sending out ballots on the same day. This is to ensure that voters across the state have the same amount of time to cast their ballot.”

As soon as we have any news on this topic, we will let you know. In the meantime, You can continue to request your mail-in ballot and you will receive it when the process is normalized. Of course, we will keep you informed.

Election day is Tuesday November 5 . If you choose to vote in person that day, You will only be able to do so at the voting site that has been assigned to you. . Find your polling place by entering your information in the voter search tool.

You must carry a photo identification.All the Polling places will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.  the November 5.

Definitely yes. All voting sites in the state allow you to vote curbside due to age or disability . This practice is called “curbside voting.” That way, you don't even need to get out of your vehicle.

On the other hand, remember that You also have the possibility to vote by mail  like all citizens of the state. If you choose that option you won't even have the need to leave your house.

Yes, you can vote for candidates of the party you prefer. Even candidates from different parties in different races. Unlike the primaries, in which people registered with a certain party could only vote for the candidates of their party, in the November general elections being registered with a certain party does not commit you at all..  For example, you can be registered as a Democrat and vote Republican, or vice versa.

To be able to vote in any of the modalities you must present a photo ID. 

The IDs accepted to vote in the 2024 elections are the following:

• North Carolina Driver's License
• NCDMV State ID
• Driver's license or non-driver ID from another state, District of Columbia, or US territory (only if voter registered in North Carolina within 90 days of the election)
• US Passport or US Passport Card
• North Carolina photo voter identification card issued by the county board of elections 
• College or university student ID approved by the State Board of Elections
• Identification of employee of the state or local government or of a charter school approved by the State Board of Elections 

In all cases, the ID must be less than one year old to be accepted.

Instead, military, tribal registration, or public assistance identification cards are accepted regardless of whether they contain an expiration or issue date.

If you vote by mail, you must include a photocopy of your ID inside the “photo ID envelope” that comes with your ballot.

In the upcoming elections, several candidates registered as Latinos will compete.

At the legislative level, the following will seek a seat in the General Assembly:

-Brian Echevarría: Republican, House District 82 in Cabarrus County.

-Laura Pichardo: Republican, Senate District 23 in Orange, Caswell and Person counties.

-Chris Costello: Libertarian, Wake County House District 33.

-Freddie de la Cruz: Republican, House District 44 in Fayetteville County. 

Additionally, the following Latino candidates will be running for various offices:

Andressia Ramirez is running for Wilson County Board of Education District 2.

Robert Morales Vergara, who ran in the Republican primary for North Carolina's 2nd Congressional District, is now running for Wake County Board of Education, District 4.

James Shaughnessy IV, a law student at William Peace University, is running for mayor of Raleigh.

Karla Icaza, a Democrat, is running for the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners in District 2.

Maritza Gomez, a Republican, is running for the Guilford County Board of Commissioners in District 6.

Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, a Democrat, is running for re-election as Mecklenburg County Commissioner for District 6.

Aaron Marin, Republican, is running for the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners in District 1.

Lou Olivera, a Democrat, is running unopposed for district court judge in the 14th seat, which covers Cumberland County.

Tabatha Holliday, a Democrat, is running for district court judge in the 24th seat, which covers Guilford County.

Maria Robles is running for re-election as Pollocksville City Commissioner.

Christine Elecia is running for Saluda City Commissioner.

David Hensley is running for the Moore County Board of Education in District 4.

Roberto “Bo” Hess is running for Asheville City Council.

No, but it is very important to make your voice and that of the entire community heard at the polls. It is your opportunity to elect officials who represent your interests and influence the society in which you live.

If you are a resident of North Carolina but are temporarily in another state you can use the absentee ballot by mail on a regular basis. 

As explained to us by Patrick Gannon, Director of Public Information for the Board of Elections, the same rule applies as for any citizen who is in North Carolina and wants to vote by mail. They will simply send the ballot to you where you are. For military and foreign ballots, the polls close on Election Day at 7:30 p.m.

Yes, you can, as long as you are a US citizen and meet the other requirements.

To do so, you can request an absentee ballot by mail in the same way as any registered voter. 

You can also apply to register and vote through two special programs for military and overseas voters:

• FPCA 
• FWAB 

Simply complete either form and submit it to your county board of elections using one of these methods:

Online:  UOCAVA portal
Mail: North Carolina State Board of Elections
PO Box 27255
Raleigh NC 27611-7255
Email: absentee@ncsbe.gov
Fax: (919) 715-0351

The deadline to return military and foreign ballots is the close of the polls on Election Day at 7:30 p.m.

Short answer: Yes!

As Patrick Gannon, Director of Public Information for the Board of Elections, explained to us, a person who receives their citizenship on Election Day can register and vote that same day as long as they meet the other eligibility requirements.

In those cases you must present a application form before a member of the county board of elections, the county elections director, or the chief judge or a judge of the district in which you vote. If your application is approved, you will be able to vote on the same day.

No one can reject your vote Don't let them tell you that you can't vote. If questions arise about your eligibility while you are at the precinct (for example, if you did not bring a photo ID or you are told you are not registered), you always have the option of casting a provisional ballot. 

In that case, you will need to go to the assistance station to get help casting a provisional vote. You will receive a form in which you will need to explain the reason why you are voting provisionally.

If you vote a provisional ballot, election officials will set it aside and investigate your eligibility. After the investigation, they will make a final decision. Don't worry: the process can take several days, but election results are not finalized until all eligible provisional ballots are counted. 

If you are deemed eligible, your vote will be counted. If not, it will be voided. 

To check if your provisional vote has been counted, you can call toll-free: (919) 814-0700 or (866) 522-4723.

Your vote is secret and no one can force you to show what your electoral decision is. , neither before, during, nor after voting. 

Also Any type of intimidating action is prohibited.  that seeks to pressure you to vote for a certain candidate. It is a crime .

In either case, whether someone wants to violate the secrecy of your vote or they seek to intimidate you, You have the right to make a complaint to any electoral official.