What You Need to Know About Voting This Fall

In light of the recent court decision, North Carolina voters now:

• Will be entitled to vote without presenting photo identification
• Will have an additional seven days of early voting, for a total of 17 days. Early voting in Buncombe County begins October 20, 2016 – check with your county Board of Elections.
• Will be able to register to vote at an early-voting site on the same day that they cast their ballots
• Will have their provisional votes counted (for every race for which they are eligible) if they appear at the wrong precinct within their county on Election Day
• Will be able to pre-register to vote as 16- and 17-year-olds

Some provisions of the 2013 law that were not affected by this decision and will remain in place include:

• Absentee ballots require two witnesses (or one, if a notary public)
• Each county party chair may appoint up to ten additional at-large poll observers who can attend any voting place in the county
• Candidates will be listed on the ballot in alphabetical order by party beginning with the party that won the most recent gubernatorial election
• Ballots will not carry a “straight-party” option; races must be voted on individually
• If the polls are delayed in opening for more than 15 minutes, the NC Board of Elections may extend the closing time for an equal number of minutes. County Boards of Elections, however, no longer have the discretion to extend voting hours by an hour due to “extraordinary circumstances.”
• Voters may not sign registration forms with “electronically captured” signatures
• Individuals may not be compensated based on the number of voters they assist in registering to vote
• Any registered voter in the state (as opposed to any voter in the specific county) can inspect a county’s registration records during regular BOE business hours on non-election days and challenge another voter’s registration in that county
• On Election Day, any registered voter in a county (as opposed to any voter in the specific precinct) can challenge another voter’s eligibility to vote

If you have questions about registration or voting, contact one of the following:

Buncombe County Election Services, 828-250-4200

NC State Board of Elections, 919-733-7173

Voter Hotline (for problems or questions), 888-OUR-VOTE (888-687-8683)