Vote By Mail
Absentee voting allows registered voters to get their ballot in the mail. Follow all instructions and deadlines carefully to make your vote count! Be sure to include witness signatures and addresses plus a copy of your Photo ID or complete the Photo ID Exception form. Returning your ballot by mail currently costs $1.77 in postage (3 forever stamps).
If you plan to vote by mail, request and return your absentee ballot as soon as possible. Click here to request your ballot today.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Any NC registered voter may request and receive a mail-in absentee ballot - no excuse needed. A voter may submit a voter registration application and an absentee request form at the same time if needed.
The voter or the voter’s near relative or legal guardian must complete, sign, and return the NC Absentee Ballot Request Form or use the Absentee Request Online Portal (open now!). A near relative could be a spouse, brother, sister, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, stepparent, or stepchild.
Once your request is accepted, you can track your ballot here.
If you request and receive a ballot but then decide to vote in-person, that’s fine! Only vote one ballot!
Your ballot must be received by your county’s board of elections by 7:30pm on Election Day (March 3, 2026, for the primaries). The date it was postmarked no longer matters. Make sure you mail your ballot back at least 2 weeks before Election Day to ensure that it arrives on time, or drop it off in person to make your vote count!
Returning your ballot by mail currently costs $1.77 in postage.
Curious about when your absentee ballot will be counted? All county Boards of Election will meet weekly to review absentee ballots. You can attend these public meetings; see youcanvote.org/boe to find your county and their meeting schedule.
Military/overseas voters: see www.fvap.gov for more information.
Click here to view detailed instructions to vote by mail from the NCSBE.
STEP 1: REQUEST YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT
Submit an absentee request form as soon as possible to the voter’s county board of elections for each election you wish to vote by mail! Absentee ballot requests for the 2026 primaries are now open.
For the 2026 primaries, absentee ballots will be distributed starting January 12, 2026. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 5:00 PM on February 17, 2026, but you should request your ballot as soon as possible if you plan to vote by mail.
If you submit the request form by mail, please allow enough time for your request to be received by the deadline. The State Board of Elections encourages voters to request their absentee ballot as early as possible to ensure enough time to complete and return the ballot. Requests received after the deadline will not be processed.
Be on the lookout for an email or call from the County Board of Elections if there is a problem with your request form.
Requests may only be submitted from any registered voter to the county board of elections by:
the voter
the voter’s near relative or verifiable legal guardian
U.S. Postal Service or designated delivery service
a member of a Multipartisan Assistance Team (MAT)
If you need assistance requesting your ballot due to disability, these restrictions do not apply and you may ask any person to request your ballot. Anyone requesting a ballot on behalf of a voter will provide their name, address, and relationship to the voter on the absentee request form.
Forms returned by any other person will not be processed. Be on the lookout for an email or call from the County Board of Elections if there is a problem with your request form.
STEP 2: RECEIVE YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT
The county board of elections will send the following items to the mailing address provided on the request form (these items cannot be picked up in person):
An Absentee Ballot
A return envelope with a certificate statement
An instruction sheet
A Photo ID Exception Form
STEP 3: MARK & CERTIFY YOUR BALLOT
Mark your ballot in the presence of a notary public or two witnesses. Your notary public or two witnesses should observe that you mark the ballot, not how you vote.
Seal your ballot. Place your ballot in the return envelope that came with your ballot and seal the envelope. Don’t put anything else into the envelope.
Sign the envelope. Sign your name on the back of the envelope.
Have your witnesses or notary public sign the envelope. Each witness will sign their name, print their name, and provide their full address on the back of the envelope. Anyone who is 18 years of age or older can be a witness except a candidate (unless the candidate is your near relative or legal guardian or you are in a hospital, clinic, nursing home, or adult care home and are requesting the candidate's assistance due to disability). Alternatively, you may have the application certified by one notary instead of two witnesses.
If you received assistance, have the assistant sign the envelope. If you need assistance, your near relative or verifiable legal guardian may mark the ballot at your direction or help you fill out the envelope. If your near relative or verifiable legal guardian is unavailable to assist you, you may receive assistance from another person. See full instructions for voters who need assistance.
Include a copy of your Photo ID. Place a copy of an eligible photo ID in the clear sleeve on the back of your ballot envelope. If you are unable to provide a copy of a photo ID, complete and place the Photo ID Exception form (yellow form in your ballot package) into the clear sleeve. See more information about Photo ID.
Seal and Mail Ballot Envelope Place the completed and sealed ballot envelope inside the absentee return envelope to return it by mail or in-person to an early voting site or your county’s board of elections office.
STEP 4: RETURN YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT IN ENVELOPE
Choose Your Return Option
To return by mail, include correct postage on your ballot return envelope. Postage to return an absentee ballot is $1.77. For the 2026 primaries, your ballot must be received by your county’s board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day (March 3, 2026). We strongly recommend you mail your ballot at least 2 weeks before Election Day to ensure it arrives in time.
To return your ballot in person, you can return your ballot to your county board of elections office or to a one-stop early voting site in your county. If returning to your county board of elections office on Election Day, it must be received by 7:30 p.m.
You may not return your ballot to a polling place on Election Day. It must go to your county’s board of elections office by 7:30 p.m.
You have options! If you complete your absentee ballot request or have received your ballot and decide you would rather vote in person, you can disregard your absentee request and vote in-person during Early Voting or on Election Day.