RALEIGH, N.C. — With only a month until the November 3 election, county boards of elections have approved the absentee ballots of more than 300,000 voters!
This means 4% of registered voters in North Carolina have already cast their ballots in the 2020 general election. They will be counted in unofficial results reported on election night, according to the NCSBE.
“These vote-by-mail numbers are far greater than we’ve ever seen in North Carolina history,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections. “They show that the process is working well for the vast majority of North Carolina voters who choose to vote by mail.”
On September 29, bipartisan county elections boards across North Carolina started meeting to approve absentee ballots for counting on election night.
The NCSBE says they will continue to meet at least every Tuesday through Election Day to approve additional ballots. For details on that process, click here.
So far, only a small fraction of absentee voters – about 3.4% – returned their ballot with a problem or deficiency, NCSBE said. They say those issues can be corrected either through a certification process or by issuing the voter a new ballot, ensuring that all eligible voters’ ballots are counted.
“Many voters are casting their ballots by mail for the first time, so some mistakes are expected,” Brinson Bell said. “We strongly encourage voters to carefully read the instructions and be sure to complete all required fields on the envelope. But if they make a mistake, there is still time to fix it.”
Required fields are the voter’s signature and the witness’s printed name, address, and signature. If a voter receives assistance marking or mailing the ballot, the assistant’s name, address, and signature must be provided.
The NCSBE says courts are still weighing how elections administrators should handle ballots that are missing a witness signature. Until then, the State Board has directed the 100 county boards of elections to store those ballots securely until further direction from the courts.
Tips for absentee voters
- Request and return your ballot as soon as possible. Ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day. However, the Board of Elections recommends putting them in the mail at least a week before the election, or October 27.
- Follow the instructions carefully and complete all required fields on the absentee ballot return envelope. Make sure you have a witness - and that you and your witness sign the envelope before putting the completed ballot in the mail.
- Track your ballot. Find information here: https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/vote-mail/absentee-ballot-tools
- If you receive a ballot by mail but decide to vote in person instead, simply shred and discard your absentee ballot. Do not vote twice.
