What you need to know about voting in this year’s election
Whether it’s your first time voting or your fourth, we want to make sure you have the tools to register to vote and vote the way you choose — in-person, by mail, early or on Election Day.
Whether it’s your first time voting or your fourth, we want to make sure you have the tools to register to vote and vote the way you choose — in-person, by mail, early or on Election Day. The North Carolina State Board of Elections has information about registering as a college student and now you can register to vote online through the North Carolina DMV.
There’s no such thing as an “off-year”
The last election was a presidential election and one for the books. However, there’s no “off-year” when it comes to voting, and in every odd year we have municipal elections where the student perspective and voice are needed.
Most students live in the Town of Chapel Hill or the Town of Carrboro. Both have mayoral and Council elections this year, and students living in Chapel Hill or Carrboro can vote for Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education members (see the full list of candidates at the Orange County Board of Elections). Early voting begins Oct. 14, and Election Day is Nov. 2. If you live in the City of Durham, early voting is already underway, and Municipal Primary and Election Day is Oct. 5. And if you live in the City of Raleigh, municipal elections have been postponed until 2022. You may be looking for who is on your ballot—if you’re registered, you can download your sample ballot using the NCSBE Voter Lookup tool.
Vote early, by mail or in-person on Election Day.
There are so many ways vote — and that is exciting, but it can also make figuring out what works for you a little confusing. Here are the three ways to vote:
- Vote by mail: For this year’s municipal election, there are two ways any North Carolina voter can request an absentee ballot:
- Online with “Option 1 – Request an Absentee Ballot” at the C. Absentee Ballot Portal.
- On paper with the English N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form for 2021 (fillable PDF) or the Spanish N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form for 2021 (fillable PDF).
- Vote early in person: Individuals can vote in person at early voting sites before Election Day during the early voting period. The Chapel of the Cross, located next to the Morehead Planetarium, is the early voting location closest to campus.
- Vote in person on Election Day: On the first Tuesday in November, registered voters can vote in person at their polling place. It’s best to check where to vote using the NCSBE Polling Place Search tool.
We hope that we can share tools that help you on a journey to become a lifetime voter. Need more inspiration? Here’s why your fellow Tar Heels are voting. Have more questions about voting? Check out this Q&A from University Libraries and you can chat them any questions.
For information about voting and Carolina’s efforts to promote democracy as part of the Carolina Next strategic plan, visit democracy.unc.edu.