In June, the NC General Assembly passed the Bipartisan Elections Act of 2020, which eased absentee ballot restrictions for voters in this year’s election. Under the new rules, residents across the state can now request absentee ballots via email, fax, or mail + you only need one witness to confirm your identity (read the complete legislation here). As of September 1, the State Board of Elections website will also feature an absentee ballot request portal.

Did you know? As of August 25, requests for absentee ballots in NC totalled 313,000+ — up nearly 10 times the count so far in 2016. If you’re planning to vote by mail this fall, keep reading for more info on how to get your ballot + answers to all your FAQs.

Is this the same thing as mail-in ballots or mail-in voting? Yes. Different states have different rules and regulations governing absentee and mail-in ballots. Since NC doesn’t typically utilize a mail-in ballot program, the 2020 exceptions to absentee voting for this year’s election are effectively the same as other programs dubbed “mail-in voting.”

Will absentee ballots be mailed automatically to all registered voters? No. Absentee ballots will be mailed to voters who request them beginning September 4. NC voters who prefer to vote in person can still participate in early voting October 15-31 + on election day, Tuesday, November 3.

What are the requirements for voting absentee?

✔️No special circumstance is needed to vote absentee during the 2020 election in NC. Everyone is eligible to vote absentee this year, in a bipartisan effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at the polls + facilitate voter participation.

✔️To issue an official request, you must submit the State Absentee Ballot Request Form.

✔️The form must be completed in its entirety, signed, and returned by the voter or a close relative, legal guardian, or multi-partisan assistance team (MAT) assigned to assist voters.

✔️The ballot must be witnessed by one other voting-age adult (i.e. someone over the age of 18). Note: elected officials and candidates for elected office are prohibited from acting as witnesses for absentee voters.

✔️After completing the absentee ballot, the voter (or their designee) must seal the ballot in the container-return envelope provided and complete the absentee application and certification on the outside of the envelope. Note: instead of returning ballots by mail, voters may opt to return absentee ballots in person to their local county board elections office or to their nearest early voting site.

✔️As always, military personnel and overseas voters qualify for special voting options. Learn more about those options here.

Is photo ID required to vote absentee? No. The state does not require photo ID to vote in-person or absentee. Earlier this year, federal judges and the NC Court of Appeals enacted an injunction against a 2018 voter ID law, citing racially discriminatory intent. Learn more here.

What is the deadline for voting absentee?

🗓️Voters may submit requests for absentee ballots until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27.

🗓️In order to be counted, absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked on or before election day, Tuesday, November 3 — and must be received by the Elections Board no later than November 6. Yes, that means absentee ballots may continue to be counted after election day until winning candidates are certified. Yes, that means we might not know all of the winners on election night.

🗓️It is highly recommended that if you plan on voting absentee, you request your ballot now and return the completed form at least two weeks prior to election day to ensure timely processing.

Is absentee voting secure?

✔️The state has implemented numerous safeguards to ensure the security of absentee voting.

✔️Absentee voter requests are kept confidential through election day.

✔️Poll workers can identify voters who have already voted absentee; therefore they will be unable to vote again on election day.

✔️In our state, voter fraud is a felony punishable by imprisonment, a fine, or both.

✔️Voter fraud is extremely rare — in an audit conducted after the 2016 elections, only 508 cases of voter fraud were identified among a total 4.8 million participating voters in NC that year, and only 41 non-citizens were able to cast a vote. Find out more here.

This is part of our ongoing election coverage. You can learn more about our Editorial Ethics Policy and how we prioritize information regarding the upcoming elections here.