Political science professor and director of the Public Policy Institute, Dr. Todd Collins, sent us the following rules for the primary voting that are coming from the election law:
- New registrations: best way is to do it so that the Board of Elections receives it by Feb 19 at 5:00
- Based on a court case, right now they will allow registrations during early voting (March 3 to March 12), but to be safe we are telling people to register before the end of this week.
- Voter ID law is now in effect. What counts: Driver’s License, NC ID Card, Passport, Military ID, Veterans ID, Tribal Enrollment Card (university issued ID does not).
- They have expanded the exceptions to this if someone has had a “reasonable impediment” that prevents someone from getting an ID. To qualify for the exception someone will need a good reason for not getting an ID, and bring in other forms to verify who they are (voter registration card, bank statements or bills with current addresses on them, etc.). Those over 70 years old also come under some exceptions.
- Absentee ballot is still an option but must be mailed in a week before election day.
- For the first time ever, NC will have a judicial “retention” election. Voters will decide whether to retain one NC Supreme Court justice with just a “yes” or “no” vote, so no one is running against him right now.
- Court of Appeals judges will now be running with partisanship noted on the ballot (they have been nonpartisan for the last 20 years or so).
- A federal judge has suspended the elections due to two House of Representative districts being unconstitutionally drawn, but I would imagine they will let the elections go forward while the lawsuit is appealed.
- Early voting works the same as it did in the last election and is from March 3 to the 12th, students can register at their University address and vote in Jackson County.
Additional Resources:
North Carolina State Board of Elections
