Election officials said Friday that it’s probably too late to be sure an absentee ballot sent via regular U.S. mail will arrive by 7:30 on Election Day as required; they offered a list of other ways to make sure one’s vote is counted. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)
As the end of election season approaches, state elections officials offered some advice for people who have not yet cast their ballots.
Absentee ballots: Don’t put your absentee ballot in the regular mail and expect it will get to your county board of elections on time.
“It may be too late to put your ballot in the regular mail stream and ensure that it gets back to your county board of elections office by the deadline,” state Elections Director Karen Brinson Bell said Friday.
The deadline for absentee ballots to arrive at local boards of election offices is 7:30 pm on Tuesday.
People planning to vote by mail have several options.
Send ballots overnight or express using the postal service or a private delivery service.
Hand deliver ballots to an early voting site before they close. Early voting ends at 3 pm on Saturday.
Hand deliver ballots to county elections offices during operating hours before the 7:30 pm Tuesday deadline.
Just because you have an absentee ballot doesn’t mean you have to use it. You can still vote in person during early voting or on Election Day.
Ballot selfies: A Wake County voter sued over the state prohibition on ballot selfies. The case has not been resolved, and a federal judge ordered the Wake County District Attorney not to prosecute the voter while it is ongoing.
Photographing a completed ballot remains illegal, state election officials said.
“That order applied only to that one plaintiff,” said Board of Elections lawyer Paul Cox. “Broadcasting an image of a voted ballot is against the law in North Carolina.”
People who want to show they’ve voted can take photos at selfie stations or with their “I voted’ stickers, Brinson Bell said.
“Everyone should be very mindful of the importance of a secret ballot, and a ballot selfie erodes that,” she said.
Voter ID: This is the first general election where voters will be asked to show an acceptable photo ID.
People who vote in person and don’t have photo ID will be able to vote a provisional ballot and fill out an “exception” form explaining why they don’t have one, or will be able to vote a provisional ballot with the understanding that they will return to their county board of elections before Friday, Nov. 15 to show their ID in order for their votes to be counted.