GREENSBORO, N.C. — Did you make a mistake with your absentee ballot? Election officials will contact you if you did, so you can make the correction and resend your ballot.
An estimated 10,000 ballots statewide have deficiencies requiring action by the impacted voter. County boards of elections officials are in the process of contacting those voters.
Here are seven things you should know in order to correctly send in your ballot, provided by the state board of elections.
- If a voter returns a ballot without a witness signature or assistant signature (if the voter received assistance), a new ballot will be issued by mail to the voter. The first ballot will be spoiled. If the voter already voted in person during the early voting period, a new ballot will not be sent.
- If a voter returns a ballot with a deficiency other than a missing witness or assistant signature, the county board will send the voter a certification to sign and return to ensure the ballot is counted. Such deficiencies include envelopes not signed by the voter or signed by the voter in the wrong place, as well as envelopes missing the printed name or address of the witness or assistant (if the voter received assistance). Any “Absentee Cure Certification” must be received by the voter’s county board of elections no later than 5 p.m. Thursday, November 12.
- County boards are expected to contact any voter with an absentee ballot deficiency in writing within one business day to inform the voter of the deficiency and how to correct it.
- If voting by mail, please return your completed ballot as soon as possible. You may place your ballot in the mail. You may also hand-deliver it to your county board of elections office until 5 p.m. November 3 or drop it off at an early voting site in your county during the early voting period, which ends October 31.
- If voting by mail, please remember to follow instructions carefully and complete all required sections of the absentee ballot return envelope. These include the voter’s signature, the printed name and address of the witness and the signature of the witness. If the voter receives assistance, the assistant’s information must also be filled out on the envelope.
- Voters who requested an absentee ballot by mail but have not yet returned it may vote in person if they prefer, either during the early voting period or on Election Day. Simply discard the absentee by mail ballot. It will be spoiled after you vote in person.
- Voters may determine whether their ballot was accepted by signing up for BallotTrax. Absentee and in-person early voters may also check whether their ballot was accepted through the State Board’s Voter Search tool. Finally, a voter may contact their county board of elections office.