North Carolina

NOTE:If you are a DMV customer with a NC driver’s license or DMV-issued ID, you may now register to vote or change certain parts of your registration online. Using this service existing DMV customers may register to vote, update their voter registration address, or update their party affiliation. They may not change their name. There is no fee for voter registration services, which are powered by PayIt. Voter registration applications submitted fewer than 25 days before an election will not be processed until after the election. You may still register to vote in person using Same Day Registration in your county during the early voting period.

If you are registering for the first time, you should plan on showing "proof of identification" the first time you vote if you did not provide identification while registering (such as a driver's license number or state ID number). See the section on Voter ID Information for a complete list of acceptable forms of ID to bring to the polls.

North Carolina voter registration deadlines

• In Person: The Saturday before Election Day if voting early in person. (Otherwise 25 days before Election Day).
• By Mail: Postmarked 25 days before Election Day. If the postmark is missing or unclear, the application will still be processed if it is received 20 days before Election Day.
• Online: 25 days before Election Day.
• Election Day Registration: Same Day Registration is available during the early voting period, but not on Election Day. See the section on Voter ID Information for a complete list of acceptable forms of ID to bring to the polls for same-day registration.
  
  Certain individuals that become qualified to vote between the registration deadline (the 25th day before Election Day) and Election Day may apply to register on Election Day by submitting an application to: a member of the county board of elections, the county director of elections, or the chief judge or a judge of the precinct in which the person is eligible to vote. If the application is approved, the individual may vote the same day. This applies to those individuals who recently become naturalized citizens of the U.S. or who have restored to citizenship after a felony conviction, but it does not apply to individuals who were 17 years old and reach 18 after the registration deadline. Contact your Local Election Office for more information.

North Carolina voter registration rules

To register to vote in North Carolina, you must:

• Be a United States Citizen
• Be a resident of North Carolina and the precinct in which you live for at least 30 days prior to Election Day
• 16- and 17-year-olds may preregister to vote, but cannot vote until they are 18 (17-year-olds may vote in a primary election if they will be 18 at the time of the general election)
• Not be currently serving a felony sentence, including probation, parole, or post-release supervision

North Carolina links for voting information

• Check Your Voter Registration
• Register to Vote
• State Election Website
• Local Election Office
• Polling Place Lookup
• Absentee Voting Information
• Early Voting Information
• Voter ID Information
• State Election Code

Have a question? Check the F.A.Q..