North Carolina voters have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to request a mail-in ballot for the Nov. 8 general election, according to the N.C. Board of Elections.
Meanwhile, early one-stop voting will continue at eight polling sites across Cumberland County through Nov. 5, according to the county Board of Elections website, Cumberland County elections website.
All voters have a choice of voting by absentee mail-in ballot, voting early or voting in person at their assigned polling site on Election Day.
In Cumberland County, 19,932 voters had cast ballots in early one-stop voting through about noon Friday, said Angie Amaro, director of the county Board of Elections Office.
Amaro said by email Friday that she was not aware of any problems at the county's eight early-voting sites and that the process is going well.
Through Wednesday, more than 234,000 voters across the state had requested a mail-in ballot, more than double the number of voters who did so at this point in the 2018 midterm election, according to the N.C. Board of Elections website. Statewide, 73,514 voters had returned absentee ballots through Wednesday, up from 31,462 in 2018, the elections office reports.
“We believe many people who voted by mail in 2020 due to the pandemic found the process simple and efficient and are voting by mail again this year,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections, in a news release. “Of course, all voters should use the voting method that best suits them — either by mail or in-person during the early-voting period or on Election Day, Nov. 8.”
Voters will decide races for U.S. Senate and House of Representatives; N.C. Senate and House; N.C. Supreme Court (two seats) and N.C. Court of Appeals (four seats); and N.C. Superior Court judge and N.C. District Court judge.
In Cumberland County, voters will choose two members of the Board of Commissioners, three members of the Board of Education, a sheriff, the clerk of court, and two Soil and Water District supervisors.
In addition, Fayetteville voters will decide whether to approve changing the way City Council members are elected in a referendum on the Vote Yes Fayetteville initiative. City voters also will decide on three bond packages: $60 million for public safety improvements; $25 million for infrastructure updates; and $12 million for housing initiatives.
During early voting, ballots may be cast at any of the eight early-voting sites in the county, and would-be voters may both register and vote. This is different than on Election Day, when voters must vote at their assigned polling places.
Hours for early voting are:
The eight polling stations are:
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There are two ways to request an absentee ballot:
Because of the approaching deadline, elections officials say requesting a ballot online is the best option.
Voters can track the status of their ballot to know when it is accepted by the county board of elections by signing up online through BallotTrax, the BOE says.
The voter or the voter’s near relative or legal guardian may return an absentee ballot in person at an early-voting site or to the voter's county board of elections office by 5 p.m. on Election Day. The Cumberland County Board of Elections Office is at 227 Fountainhead Drive in downtown Fayetteville.
Voters may not return an absentee ballot to an Election Day polling place.
Absentee ballots that are mailed to the county board of elections office must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received at the elections office by Nov. 14, according to the state board.
More information about the absentee voting process is available at Detailed Instructions to Vote By Mail and FAQ: Voting By Mail.
U.S. citizens who live overseas — including members of the military and their spouses and dependents — have until 5 p.m. the day before Election Day to register to vote or request an absentee ballot.
More information for military members is at military voting assistance guide.
To find out if you are registered to vote, go to Voter Search.
Find your polling site here.
Look for continued coverage of the Nov. 8 election from CityView at CityViewNC.com, including stories about candidates in key contests and information about the City Council districting referendum and city bond packages.
