In North Carolina, people are voting right now, and election officials want to tell them how to see if their vote was counted.
There are some voters who aren’t sure if their vote was counted correctly. To make sure your vote was made and counted, do the following:
Important dates
- Absentee-by-mail voting began in late September, and voters can request absentee ballots until October 29.
- In-person early voting began on Oct. 17 and will run through Saturday, November 2.
- Election Day is Tuesday, November 5.
As the deadlines for voting get closer, North Carolina election officials are telling voters to use the following methods to make sure their ballot is counted.
Early in-person
People who went to the polls early can check the statewide “Voter Search” database to see if their vote was recorded.
Find the State Board’s Voter Search tool and scroll down to the part that says “Your Ballot: By Mail or Early Voting.” This is where you can find voters.
The “Voting Method” will say “EARLY VOTING,” the “Ballot Status” will say “VALID RETURN,” and the “Vote Status” will say “ACCEPTED” for people who voted early.
This state is usually changed the day after early voters cast their ballots.
Absentee by mail
People can see that their votes have been counted in the “Your Ballot: By Mail or Early Voting” part of the “Voter Search” tool once the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections gets their ballot.
If you don’t vote in person, you can mail in your ballot. The “Vote Status” will be “ACCEPTED” or “ACCEPTED – CURED.” The “Ballot Status” will show “VALID RETURN.”
Check the “Voter History” area to see if a ballot has been counted. This will be possible once Mecklenburg County finishes adding voter histories to records after the election.
It might take a few weeks or even longer.
In-person on Election Day
People who put their ballots into a tabulator will have their choices saved on a memory device. After each vote is added to the tabulator, the number of votes will go up.
On election night, these numbers are tallied and made public.
Voters can use the “Voter Search” tool to get more proof that their ballot was counted.
There will be a poll status in “Your Voter History” as soon as Mecklenburg County finishes adding voter history to records after the election.
On election day, people will be able to vote “in person.”
After the election, this could take a few weeks or even longer.
Provisional ballots
Those who used a provisional ballot can verify the status of their ballot 10 days after the election using the “Provisional Search” service.
All four fields on the form must be completed, including the PIN number provided to voters at the voting location when they voted provisionally.