Early in person voting for the 2024 General Election

October 17, 2024 - November 2, 2024.

Overview of Early Voting

During the early voting period, voters may cast a ballot at any early voting site in their county.  This is different than Election day, when registered voters must vote at their assigned polling place.  Each site will have all of the ballot styles for a given election. 

During the early voting period, voters may update their name and address on an existing registration record, but are not allowed to change their party affiliation. 

Please be sure to sign in all applicable areas for any changes made to your voter record.  Changes cannot be made without a signature.

Advantages of Early Voting:

• Avoid potential lines on Election Day
• Vote on convenient days and hours that work for your schedule
• Vote the same day that you update your voter registration or register to vote in Dare County.*

Same Day Registration is an option during the early voting period:

Eligible individuals who reside in a county but are not yet registered to vote there may register during the in-person early voting period. After registering, the newly registered voter can immediately vote at that same site. This process is called “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.

To register using same-day registration, an individual must meet all eligibility requirements as follows:

• Be a U.S. citizen.
  • See the USCIS website for citizenship information.
  • Citizenship documents are NOT required to register.
• Live in the county where you are registering, and have resided there for at least 30 days prior to Election Day.
  • The federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) allows certain voters who are active duty military or their families as well as U.S. citizens abroad special rights that provide an expedited means to register and vote by mail-in ballot. Find more information on Military and Overseas Voting.
• Be at least 18 years old, or will be by the date of the general election.
  • 16- and 17-year-olds may preregister to vote.
  • 17-year-olds may vote in a primary election if they will be 18 at the time of the general election.
• Not be serving a felony sentence, including any period of probation, post-release supervision, or parole.

Note: An inactive voter is still a registered voter. A voter who is inactive status will be asked to confirm their addresses when they appear to vote. No special document is required.

How to Same-Day Register

Individuals may register and vote in person at any early voting site in their county.

Same-day registrants must attest to their eligibility and provide proof of where they live. A voter attests to their eligibility by completing and signing the North Carolina voter registration application (available in English or Spanish). Registering at an early voting site during the early voting period requires voters to provide proof of residence. Proof of residence includes any of the following documents that includes the voter’s current address:

• North Carolina driver’s license.
• Other photo identification issued by a government agency, provided that the card includes the voter’s current name and address.
• A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document showing the voter’s name and address.
• For students living on campus, a document from an educational institution with the student’s name and on-campus housing address. Or, an educational institution may provide the county board of elections a list of students residing in particular campus housing, which will suffice if a student living in campus housing shows a valid student photo identification card.

Within two business days of the person’s registration, the county board of elections will verify the registrant’s driver’s license or Social Security number, update the voter registration database, search for possible duplicate registrations, and begin to verify the registrant’s address by mail. The registrant’s ballot will be counted unless the county board of elections determines that he or she is not qualified to vote in accordance with North Carolina law.

All voters who use same-day registration also will be asked to show an acceptable form of photo identification when they check in to vote. This may be the same identification used to complete same-day registration, if the voter used an approved form of photo ID, such as a driver’s license. However, if the document used for same-day registration is not a photo ID approved for voting, the voter will be asked to show an approved form of photo ID. Most voters will simply show their driver’s license, but many other types of photo ID will be accepted, including many student IDs.

*Same-day registration is not available during early voting for a second primary.  On election day voters must be registered on or before the registration deadline, and must vote at their assigned polling place.

Click here to view the UOCAVA 2024 Second Primary Election Notice

Early voting schedule for the 2024 General Election

2024 General Election Day

Tuesday, November 5, 2024 - Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Voters must vote at their assigned precinct on Election Day.* Use the NCSBE Voter Lookup Tool to find your polling place, sample ballots, and more.

Current Election Status: Photo ID Required

Curbside Voting is offered at all Dare County early voting sites and election day polling places.  To be eligible for curbside voting, you must be unable to enter the polling place due to age or physical disability. Look for parking near the polling place entrance designated "Curbside Voting." A Precinct Official will come to your vehicle when you park in one of the designated spaces to assist with your voting needs.

NCSBE Curbside Voting Guidance

Early Voting

Allows any registered voter to cast a ballot in person during the early voting period.  Unlike on Election Day, when registered voters can only vote at their specific precinct, early voting allows registered voters to vote at any early voting site in the county. Early voting sites will have all the ballot styles for a given election at each site. 

During Early Voting, voters may update their name and address in an existing registration record, but are not allowed to change their party affiliation.  

Dare County residents who are not already registered can register to vote and vote the same day during Early Voting, as long as they will be:

• 18 years old by Election Day
• have lived in Dare County for at least 30 days
• and can provide proof of identity and residence.

For more information on same day registration at early voting sites, click here.

Absentee-by-Mail Voting

Any North Carolina registered voter may request, receive, and vote a mail-in absentee ballot where absentee voting is permitted.

Complete an Absentee Ballot Request Form:

Registered voters in North Carolina must request an absentee ballot with an official N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form. Please note that you must complete a valid form and you may not request an absentee ballot with an expired request form. There are two ways to access and submit the form:

1. Online using “Option 1 – Request an Absentee Ballot” at the N.C. Absentee Ballot Portal.
2. On paper using the English N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form(PDF) or the Spanish N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form (PDF).

You must provide your date of birth and one of the following to verify your identity:

• North Carolina driver license number or NCDMV issued identification card number; or
• Last four digits of your Social Security number.

The request form must be signed by either the voter or the voter’s near relative, or legal guardian. According to the law, a "near relative" can be any of the following: spouse, sibling, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, stepparent, or stepchild of the voter.  A typed signature is not allowed.

The on-paper absentee ballot request form can be mailed or returned in person to your county board of elections.  Your county board of elections must receive the completed and signed absentee request form by 5 p.m. the Tuesday before Election Day.

The voter fills out a request form for an absentee ballot, then returns it to their county board of elections. The Board of Elections will process the form and mail the voter a ballot packet, which the voter will complete per instructions included in the packet, and return by mail or in person to the county board of elections.

A completed 2024 Absentee Ballot Request Form must be mailed or delivered in person to the county board of elections.

Haga clic aquí para acceder al formulario de solicitud de boleta de voto ausente en español.

Mailing Address:
Dare County Board of Elections
PO Box 1000 
Manteo, NC 27954

How to return a completed Absentee Ballot:

1. By USPS mail
2. In person at the Dare County Board of Elections office in Manteo. (You will be required to fill-out a log and a signature will be required)
3. In person at an Early voting site 

Uniformed service members (and their eligible dependents), as well as U.S. citizens living outside of the United States, may request an absentee ballot under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). This federal act and corresponding laws in North Carolina allow uniformed service members and overseas citizens who are absent from their county of residence in North Carolina to request, receive and return an absentee ballot under special rights.

Click here for more information on UOCAVA absentee voting.

Unofficial Election Results: