The first batch of North Carolina absentee ballots was delayed due to election litigation, but has now been sent out. Absentee voting has become more popular, especially during the pandemic, with over 207,600 ballot requests so far. Any registered NC voter can cast an absentee ballot, and the deadline to request one is Oct. 29.
Voters can request a ballot online or by mail, and must have witnesses while marking their ballots. Ballots must be returned by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, either by mail, commercial carrier, or in person at an early voting site or county board of elections office.
To ensure the security of the by-mail voting process, several steps are taken, including validating voter information, keeping request data confidential, marking voters as having voted once they return their ballot, and conducting audits and hand counts of ballots. Committing election fraud is a felony with harsh penalties.
The State Board of Elections is working with USPS to ensure smooth processing of election mail. Voters can track their ballots through a system called BallotTrax. Despite the delays, North Carolinians are encouraged to vote in the upcoming election, whether by mail or in person, during early voting or on Election Day.
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Photo credit carolinapublicpress.org
