Courtesy of Barbara Potter

Who Can Vote

To register in North Carolina you must:

• be a citizen of the United States
• have lived at the registered address for at least thirty days immediately before the election in which you want to vote
• be at least 18 years old by the day of the election
• have your rights of citizenship restored if you have been convicted of a felony and completed your felony sentence including probation, post release supervision, parole or a prison term
• not be registered or vote in any other county or state

How to Register to Vote

There are 3 ways to register to vote in NC—online, by mail, or in person.

• Online – You must be an existing customer of the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles.  Go to the DMV website and follow the links for the voter registration application. https://payments.ncdot.gov/service/nc_voter_registration/workflow/nc_voter_reg_standalone_entry/1?initialTalkObject=%7B%22dashboard%22%3A%7B%22serviceOfferingId%22%3A%22nc_voter_registration%22%2C%22licenses%22%3A%5B%5D%7D%7D

• By mail – You can send in the voter registration application you received in the mail from The Center for Voter Information or you can print the NC Voter Registration Application.  You should carefully fill out the application, sign it and mail it to Durham County Board of Elections at PO Box 868 Durham, NC  27702-0868.  You can also bring it in person to the Board of Elections at 201 N. Roxboro Street in Durham.
  To print the voter registration application in English go to https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Voter_Registration/NCVoterRegForm_06W.pdf for the application in Spanish go to https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Voter_Registration/NCVoterRegForm_09W.pdf

• In-person at the Durham County Board of Elections office at 201 N Roxboro Street in Durham or you can do same-day registration when you go to an early voting site between October 15 and October 31 to vote.
  If you do same-day registration you will need to provide proof of your residency by showing a NC driver’s license, a government-issued ID which shows your name and current address, or a copy of a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government-issued document showing your name and address.  Local college students can show their student photo ID.

Ways to Vote in November 3, 2020 Election

There are 3 ways to vote after you have registered—by mail, early in person, or on Election Day in person

• By mail – You don’t need an excuse to vote by mail, but you need a witness when you complete your ballot. To vote by mail you will need to request your ballot, and then complete and return your ballot.
  To request your ballot, you can send in the NC Absentee Ballot Request form you received in the mail from The Center for Voter Information or you can print the form.  You should carefully fill out the application, be sure to sign it, and mail it to Durham County Board of Elections at PO Box 868 Durham, NC  27702-0868.  You can also bring it in person to the Board of Elections at 201 N. Roxboro Street in Durham.To print the absentee ballot request form go to: https://www.dcovotes.com/home/showdocument?id=32824Your ballot will arrive from the Durham County Board of Elections in a large white envelope marked “Official Election Mail.”Once you have received your ballot and are ready to mark your ballot, the first thing you should do is get your witness.  Your witness must be at least 18 years old and cannot be running for office in the election you are voting in.  The witness should be close enough to watch you vote but not able to see who you are voting for.  You should complete your ballot, put it inside the official envelope, sign the outside of the back of the envelope in Step 2 and have your witness sign the outside of the back of the envelope in Step 3.
  
  You should return your ballot by October 27 if you are putting it in the mail and no later than 5PM on Election Day, November 3, 2020 if you are delivering it in person. If you are putting your ballot in the mail you will need to put 55 cents of postage (equal to one first-class stamp) on the envelope. If you want to deliver your ballot in person, you can drop it off at an early voting site when it is open or at the Durham County Board of Elections at 201 N. Roxboro Street in Durham.

• Early in person – Early voting this year begins on October 15 and ends on October 31.  You do not need to provide photo ID when you arrive to vote.  Durham County has 14 early voting sites.  You may vote at any of these sites.

Early Voting Sites in Durham

Dates and Times for Early Voting

• In-person – You cannot register to vote on Election Day.  You must vote at your assigned precinct location.  You do not have to provide photo ID. Polling places are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Any voter in line at 7:30 p.m. will be able to vote. The busiest times tend to be early in the morning and just before the polls close. Avoid longer lines by voting at off-peak times.If you do not know your precinct location you can find it online by entering your home address at: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/PPLkup/