Voting in North Carolina

Register to vote in North Carolina

Check if you’re registered!

Even if you think you’re registered to vote, it’s always a good idea to double check. This is especially true since many people have moved since the last election. Check your voter registration status in North Carolina, and make sure to update your address if it has changed.

Register to vote:

To register to vote in North Carolina, a prospective voter must meet all of the following qualifications:

• Must be a citizen of the United States.
• Must live in the county of their registration, and have resided there for at least 30 days prior to the date of the election.
• Must be at least 18 years old. A prospective voter can submit a registration form if they are 16 or 17 years old, but may not vote until they are 18. If a voter will be 18 for the general election but 17 during the primary, they may vote in the primary.
• Must not be serving a sentence for a felony conviction (including probation or parole). If a prospective voter has previously been convicted of a felony, their citizenship rights are automatically restored but they must re-register to vote.

As a college student, you have the option to register to vote in either the state where you are studying or your home state. You may only have one residency for voting purposes, and you can only vote once in the same election. Voting multiple times in the same election, either within the state or across state lines, is against the law. More information on registering to vote as a college student can be found here.

Register Online

If you have a North Carolina driver’s license or NCDMV-issued ID as well as your social security number, you can register to vote online.

Register In Person

Multiple voter registration events will occur on campus this semester. View the event calendar.

The deadline to register to vote on Election Day is Friday, February 9, 2024. Same-day registration is also available at polling locations during the early voting period for the Primary Election from Thursday, February 15th through Saturday, March 2nd. Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center will operate as an on-campus early voting location.

To register during the early voting period, you must complete a North Carolina Voter Registration Application as well as show an identifying document with your name and current residential address. The voter registration application requires a current address and valid mailing address, so registration will need to be updated for students who moved from East to West Campus, from West Campus to 300 Swift, or off campus this semester.

Examples of identifying documents include:

• NC driver’s license
• Photo ID or document from a government agency
• Utility bill, bank statement, payroll stub
• Duke students living on-campus only need to show their Duke student ID – no additional documentation is required
• Duke-issued document with your name and current address AND your Duke student ID

During early voting you may also update your name and address within the same county, if needed. You will not be able to register to vote on Election Day.

Register By Mail

Fill out the North Carolina Voter Registration Application, making sure to fill it out and follow all instructions carefully. Print it out, and mail it to your county board of elections, which can be found here.

If you are a student, please consult this graphic (East Campus | West Campus | Swift) as you fill out the application. Feel free to reach out to our Student Voting Coordinator with any questions about your registration.

Local County Board of Elections Offices:

Voting

What do I need to vote?

North Carolina voters are now required to provide photo identification when voting in-person or by absentee ballot. The North Carolina Board of Elections approved Duke University’s Student Voter ID Card as a valid form of identification for use at the polls. Other acceptable forms of identification and additional information on North Carolina’s voter ID requirements can be found on the NC State Board of Elections website. Students can request a Duke Student Voter ID Card here. For more information, visit our “Duke Student Voter ID Card” page.

To early vote:

One-stop early voting will be held at Karsh Alumni Center from Thursday, February 15, 2024 through Saturday, March 2, 2024 for voters registered in Durham County. Polling locations in Durham are open from 8am-7:30pm Mondays through Fridays, 8am-5pm on Saturdays, 2pm-6pm on Sundays, and 8am-3pm on the last Saturday of early voting (March 2).Same-day voter registration will also be available during this time.

Click here to find other one-stop early voting sites in your county. More information about early voting can be found here.

To vote on Election Day:

Election Day is Tuesday, March 5, 2024. You may only vote at your assigned polling place in your county on Election Day. Click here to find your polling place using your address.

Students living on East Campus will vote at George Watts Elementary School (700 Watts St, Durham, NC 27701) and students living on West Campus will vote at Patterson Recreation Center (2614 Crest St, Durham, NC 27705).

To absentee vote:

First, request an absentee ballot. You can do so by either filling out the North Carolina Absentee Ballot Request form and mailing or emailing it to your county board of elections, or you can request it online through the North Carolina State Board of Elections’ Absentee Ballot Request Portal.

Request your absentee ballot by February 27 at 5pm. Once you have requested your absentee ballot, you can track its status from printed to accepted by signing up online for status notifications through BallotTrax. Absentee ballots must be returned to the board of elections by March 5 at 7:30pm.

Voters who vote by mail must include a photocopy of an acceptable ID inside the “photo ID envelope” that comes with their ballot. Or they may complete an ID Exception Form with the absentee ballot return envelope.