Registration and Voting
This article uses information compiled by the League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County and from the Buncombe County Board of Elections.
from Staff Reports
Any North Carolina resident who is at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen is eligible to vote as long as he or she has lived in Buncombe County for 30 days before the next election. The only exceptions are people who are under court supervision for a felony: people in prison or on probation (or “parole” under old NC law) for a felony may not register or vote until their probation ends.
When to Register
Registration is year-round, but you must be registered at least 25 days before any election to vote in that election. If you don’t know your registration status, call the Board of Elections at 828-250-4200 to inquire. If you are eligible to vote but not registered, October 10 is the last day to register to be able to vote in the November 4 election. Voter Registration forms are available at locations around Buncombe County, or online at the Board of Elections web site at http://www.buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/Election/ .
When you get your registration form, you can fill it out at home –
make sure it includes your current address – and mail it to: Buncombe
County Board of Elections, 189 College Street, Asheville, NC 28801. The
Board of Elections will assign your precinct and mail you a Voter
Registration card that tells you the location of your voting place. You
DON’T need to bring the card with you when you go vote, but it’s a good
idea to do so.
Forms are available at the following locations:
• Buncombe County Board of Elections, 189 College Street;
• All libraries in the Asheville-Buncombe Library System;
• All public high schools in Buncombe County;
• Drivers License offices (DMV);
• Employment Security Offices, AFDC, WIC, Food Stamp, and Medicaid offices, and
• Agencies serving persons with disabilities.
Changes in Registration
If you are already registered to vote and you change your name,
address, or party affiliation, you have to change your registration.
You may change your name or address at any time, including Election
Day, without affecting your right to vote. (Party affiliation is
important only for primary elections; it does not matter for general
elections.)
Registration & Changes by Mail
Mail-in registration forms may be used for all election-related
transactions. Registration and any of the changes listed above that are
requested by mail must be postmarked at least 25 days before the
election.
Absentee Voting
No excuse is required to vote by absentee ballot. Any registered
voter may request – IN WRITING – an absentee ballot from the Board of
Elections at any time during the campaign season. The deadline for
asking for an absentee ballot for the November 4 election is Tuesday,
October 28; it must include your full name, address, telephone number,
and date of birth; and it MUST BE SIGNED by the voter requesting a
ballot. A ballot will be mailed to you. The voted ballot must be
returned to the Board of Elections by 5 p.m. the day before the
election.
Near Relatives
If you are unable to vote in person or to write in, a near relative
– husband or wife, brother or sister, parent, grandparent, child,
grandchild, mother-, father-, son- or daughter-in-law, stepparent or
child, or legal guardian – may request in writing, by the same deadline
(October 28), to complete an Absentee Request on your behalf. A ballot
will be mailed to you. (If a voter becomes ill after the Tuesday
deadline, a qualifying relative can apply for a ballot in person for
the voter and a ballot will be issued at that time.) The voted ballot
must be returned to the Board of Elections by 5 p.m. on the day before
the election. A voted ballot must be returned by the voter or the near
relative.
One-Stop Voting
The One-Stop voting process permits voting in person at the Board
of Elections office before Election Day. One-Stop Voting begins the
third Thursday before the election (October 16) and ends at 1 p.m. the
Saturday before the election (November 1). Note that on November 1 all
sites will open at 8:30 a.m. and close at 1:00 p.m.
One-Stop Voting Locations
• Asheville Senior Opportunity Ctr.
36 Grove Street, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Avery’s Creek Community Center
899 S. E. Glenn Bridge Road
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Buncombe County Training Center
199 College Street, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Bee Tree Fire Department
510 Bee Tree Road, Swannanoa
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Biltmore Square Mall, 800 Brevard Rd., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, October 18 – Open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Cheshire Village Black Mountain
2 East Market Street, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Fairview Branch Library
1 Taylor Rd., Fairview, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Innsbruck Mall, 85 Tunnel Road,
10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, October 18 – open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Leicester Branch Library
1561 Alexander Rd., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• South Buncombe Branch Library
260 Overlook Road, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• North Asheville Branch Library
1030 Merrimon Ave., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Oak Forest Presb. Church, W. Avl.
880 Sand Hill Road, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• UNC-Asheville, Zeis Building
1 University Heights, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• West Asheville Branch Library
942 Haywood Rd., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Weaverville Town Hall
30 S. Main Street, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
