Although Election Day is 28 days away, if you want to vote for the first time or just moved to the county, your window to register is quickly approaching.
If you are not sure if you are registered, check your status on the State Board of Elections voter search. If your name is not there, you can register or update your address or party affiliation.
To register to vote, you need to show evidence for your physical address. This can be a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or any other government document. If the mailing address is different, make sure to know the correct address.
You can register by visiting the Jackson County Board of Election or the DMV office next door at 876 Skyland Drive in Sylva. At the JCBOE, you can also get a free voter ID. Get more information on registering online or by mail here.
To register, you must have:
- Photo ID: driving license, CAT Card, Voter ID or any of the other acceptable photo ID.
- If you are not able to show photo ID for reasonable impediment you can ask for photo exception form
- To vote in the county, you need to be resident for at least 30 days from the day of voting.
Voter registration applications submitted by mail will be processed before the next primary or general election if they are postmarked on or before the 25th day before that primary or election. Applications sent by mail with a missing or unclear postmark date will be processed before the next primary or election if they are received by the 20th day before that primary or election.
If you missed the voter registration deadline, you may still be able to register and vote or make changes, except for party affiliation, to your voter registration and vote during the early voting period.
Early Voting
Citizens can vote at any participating early voting site in the county in which they are registered or eligible to register.
The early voting sites are:
- Skyland Service Center at 876 Skyland Drive Suite 1, Sylva.
- Cashiers Rec Center at 355 Frank Allen Road, Cashiers.
- Cullowhee Rec Center at 88 Cullowhee Mountain Road, Cullowhee.
- Qualla Community Building at 181 Shoal Creek Church Loop Road, Whittier.
- WCU Health & Human Sciences Building at 4121 Little Savannah Road., Cullowhee.
Individuals who are not registered to vote in a county may register at early voting sites during the early voting period. After registering, the newly registered voter can immediately vote at that same site, which is also known as “same-day registration.”
When you check in to vote at an early voting site, you may also update your name or address within the same county if necessary. Learn more at Register in Person During Early Voting.
If you’re already registered and your address changed, the proof must be a document that includes your current name and residence address, according to NCSBE’s guidance memo. Students may also use a document from their college or university that shows their name and residential address.
Director of the Jackson County Board of Elections, Amanda Allen, commented on the noticeable shift to early voting by the county.
“We are moving drastically towards becoming dependent on early voting,” Allen said. “It used to be a very Democrat-heavy form of voting and now it seems across the board people are realizing that it’s pretty convenient.”
Allen said that they are anticipating a higher voter turnout and of those two-thirds of that to be happening during early voting. So, it’s going to be busy.
Early voting sites will be open Oct. 15 to 31. Voting sites are open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays, Oct. 24 and Oct. 31 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday voting is not available in Jackson County.
Absentee Voting
If you are a registered voter of Jackson County and choose not to vote in person, you may request an absentee ballot to be mailed to you. Any registered voter in North Carolina may request, receive and vote a mail-in absentee ballot in most elections. No special circumstance or reason is needed to vote by mail in North Carolina.
To request an absentee ballot, visit the NC Vote By Mail website or call the Jackson County Board of Elections at 828-586-7538 for more information.
As a reminder, here are some important dates to prepare for Nov. 3:
- Oct. 9: Voter registration deadline (5 p.m.).
- Oct. 15: In-person early voting begins; same-day registration available.
- Oct. 31: In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.).
- Nov. 3: Election Day. Absentee ballot return deadline (7:30 p.m.).
