Voting Information
Your vote is your voice. Learn how to use it! Keep scrolling to find information about upcoming elections, how to register to vote, different ways to vote, how to request a Voting 101 workshop for your class or student group, and read through our frequently asked questions. The button below can help you register to vote by directing you to the correct website or form. There is more information below about registering to vote, especially if you are registering to vote at your on-campus address.
Students can register to vote with a local address where they live while attending school or register/remain registered at a permanent address they plan to return to during breaks. Students that are registered out of town will need to make plans to travel to vote or cast an absentee ballot. Read below for more information on your options for voting!
Upcoming Elections
If you are an out of state student planning on voting in your home state – please check your state’s board of elections website for any upcoming elections. If you are a North Carolina voter, or are planning to register as a North Carolina voter, the following information applies to you.
November 5, 2024 – Election Day
- Sept. 6, 2024 – NC County boards of election begin mailing absentee ballots to eligible voters who submitted an absentee ballot request form
- Oct. 11, 2024 – NC voter registration deadline (5pm). If you miss this deadline you can still update your registration or register for the first time at an early voting site in the county where you reside
- Oct. 17 – Nov. 2, 2024 – North Carolina’s early voting period. Check out Guilford County’s early voting sites and hours (including UNCG’s Kaplan Center) here. Voters registered or registering in Guilford County can vote at any Guilford County early voting site.
- Oct. 29, 2024 – NC deadline to request an absentee ballot (5pm)
- Nov. 5, 2024 – NC absentee ballot return deadline (7:30pm)
- Offices up for election on this 2024 ballot in NC include: U.S. President/Vice President, U.S. House of Representatives, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Auditor, State Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Attorney General, Agriculture Commissioner, Labor Commissioner, Insurance Commissioner, State Senators and State Representatives, N.C. Supreme Court Justice, N.C. Court of Appeals Judge, Superior Court Judge, District Attorney, County Commissioner, Clerk of Superior Court, and Register of Deeds. Many counties have will have other local offices like mayor, seats on municipal governing boards, county commissioners and board of education members.
Registering to Vote
Our voter registration portal can help you register. Get started here.
Voter registration deadlines
In North Carolina, if you miss the voter registration deadline for an election, you can always register and vote during the election’s early voting period by completing an application at an early voting site in your county and showing an election official proof of your residential address in the county.
Check if you’re already registered
Not sure if you’re registered to vote or want to make sure you’re registered at your current address? The North Carolina State Board of Elections public voter search will provide you with information about when you voted, where you’re registered, what your sample ballot will look like (what you’re voting on), what districts you’re in and much more! This is also a great way to make sure your status is active.
How & where do I register?
Students attending college in North Carolina may register at their school address. You must plan to return after temporary absences, like summer break, but do not have to plan to reside at that address permanently. Students may also choose to register or remain registered at a permanent address in North Carolina or outside the state. In this case, students may need to vote by absentee ballot or travel there to vote if the election occurs while they are physically attending school elsewhere. In North Carolina there are a few options for registering to vote.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections and DMV now offer certain online voter registration services for EXISTING DMV customers. If you are a DMV customer with a North Carolina license or DMV issued ID you can register to vote, update your voter registration address, or update your party affiliation online. Visit the DMV website to use these services.
NC voters can register and vote in-person during early voting. Scroll down to the “Early in-person voting” section under “How to Vote” for more information on what you’ll need to bring with you that counts as proof of residency.
Fill out a Voter Registration Form, print, sign, and mail the form to the proper county board of elections office. UNCG students can also pick up a voter registration form in the Office of Leadership & Civic Engagement (EUC 217) when classes are in session.
Registering to Vote With An On-Campus Address
Attention on-campus students ONLY! The sample form below was provided to us by the Guilford County Board of Elections as a sample registration form. It will show you how to correctly fill out your residential address (room number followed by residence hall name) and your mailing address (jdoe2 at UNCG- do not use the @ symbol) on a registration form. This fictional student lives in room 210 in Cone Hall. Use this format for a paper registration form, which can be found in the Office of Leadership & Civic Engagement in 217 Elliott University Center, or online at the NC State Board of Elections website. If you have further questions about how a UNCG on-campus student should correctly fill out this form please call the Guilford County Board of Elections directly at 336-641-3836.
Updating your voter registration
Every time you move or change addresses you can update your voter registration. If you are a DMV customer with a North Carolina license or DMV issued ID you can update your voter registration address or update your party affiliation online. Visit the DMV website to use these services. You can also update your voter registration by filling out a new voter registration form. Staff in OLCE can help you or you can go to your county’s Board of Elections Office.
How To Vote
You must have registered to vote by the voter registration deadline 25 days prior to the election to vote on election day. Vote at your assigned voting precinct on election day. For NC voters you can search polling location and hours at: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/PPLkup/. Remember you will be asked to show a valid ID. The good news is that your UNCG Spartan Card is a valid form of Voter ID in North Carolina.
Early voting is the period before an election where voters can cast a ballot prior to Election day. NC voters can vote at any designated early voting site in the NC county they are registered in, or live in and would like to register in. However, once the early voting period is passed, eligible voters must vote on election day at their designated polling place. Voters may change their name or address at an early voting site. Persons who are not yet registered in a county may register to vote, and vote, during early voting. This process is called “same-day registration“. If you do choose to register during early voting you will need to fill out voter registration form and provide a valid form of identification (the Spartan Card is accepted as Voter ID in NC). In some cases, you may need to bring proof of residency. Proof of residency can count as any of the following that shows your current name and current (where you are registering) address:
- North Carolina driver license (with current address)
- Other photo identification issued by a government agency. Any government-issued photo ID is acceptable, so long as the card bears the voter’s current name and current address.
- A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document showing the voter’s name and current address
- A student residing in a campus housing facility may prove their residency by presenting, in either hardcopy or electronic format, any document originating with the educational institution and containing the student’s name and on-campus housing address or facility name (e.g., “Jones Hall”). Acceptable documents may be issued by either public or private educational institutions and include correspondence, invoice, transcript, or a print-out or screen shot from any official registration or housing portal displaying the student’s name and on-campus housing address.
Any North Carolina voter who is qualified to vote in an election and registered by the October 11th voter registration deadline can request and receive a by-mail absentee ballot for any election. No special circumstance or excuse is needed to receive and vote a mail-in absentee ballot. To receive a mail-in absentee ballot for an election, a voter or the voter’s near relative or legal guardian must use the State Absentee Ballot Request form to request the ballot. The ballot must be returned by 7:30pm on election day by mail or in-person delivery. You can request a NC absentee ballot online before October 29th, 2024 at 5pm. In NC you must include a photocopy of an acceptable ID with the absentee ballot return envelope. If you are a student at UNCG from another state and are registered there, you may request an absentee ballot from your state that will allow you to vote by mail and not in-person. Please be aware of your state’s deadlines to request and return an absentee ballot. If you request and receive a mail-in ballot and later decide to vote in-person, you may do so, just DO NOT mail in the ballot and vote twice. Check the status of your NC absentee ballot request or submission using BallotTrax.
Researching Your Ballot
Be prepared when you go to vote by knowing what is on your ballot. Your ballot will have offices and candidates based on the address you are registered/registering with. Here are a few nonpartisan resources that can help you figure out what will be on your ballot:
- NC Voter Search – registered voters can look-up their registration, click on their name, and view their sample ballot. This is your official sample ballot and is the most accurate.
- Ballot Ready – if you are not registered (say you plan to register and vote during early voting) and will not be able to view your sample ballot online in the NC voter search tool, you can enter your address in this site and see candidates for races that will be on your ballot.
- Vote 411 – enter the address where you are registered (or plan to register) to see races on your ballot. You can also view basic candidate information by selecting your options.
Request a Voting 101 Workshop
We know the voting process can be confusing. This is why the Office of Leadership & Civic Engagement is inviting faculty and student groups to sign-up for our interactive Voting 101 Workshop. Trained student voter engagement fellows along with OLCE staff will cover the importance of voting, UNCG voting rates, current voter registration requirements, and how and where voting takes place. Participants will have the opportunity to register to vote during this workshop. All content is non-partisan and friendly to all political ideologies. This program can be tailored to fit a 30-minute or hour-long time block. To schedule a workshop please email [email protected].
Get Involved In Elections
Democracy Fellows are paid undergraduate positions for the academic year and work approximately 10 hours a week on civic engagement programming. Civic engagement experience preferred. Stay tuned into our weekly announcements for applications!
Email [email protected] to request a Voter 101 workshop from our OLCE student Democracy Fellows! This workshop contains approximately an hour of interactive activities and information, and is great for a classroom, residence hall or organization meeting!
Here are the most updated rules on running an on-campus voter registration drive. Please email [email protected] if you plan on hosting so we can help support you!
North Carolina county boards of elections are searching for democracy heroes to work at polling places and voting sites for upcoming elections. Visit this site to learn more about becoming a poll worker- we recommend you contact your county’s board of elections office directly. You can search for their contact information here.
FAQ
- Students attending college in North Carolina may register at their school address. You must plan to return after temporary absences, like summer break, but do not have to plan to reside at that address permanently.
- Students may choose to register or remain registered at a permanent address in North Carolina or outside the state. In this case, students may need to vote by absentee ballot or travel there to vote.
- You may only vote in one location.
Voters will be asked to show photo ID when voting in North Carolina. YOUR UNCG STUDENT ID IS AN ACCEPTABLE FORM OF ID FOR VOTING. Your UNCG student ID will meet the requirements for a photo ID when voting. Other forms of acceptable ID are listed here.
- In a primary election voters can choose which candidates they prefer to be on the general election ballot in November. The purpose of a primary is to narrow the field of candidates for the general election. Please note that some primary elections may have other final contests on their ballot that were rescheduled from another election. In North Carolina voters affiliated with any political party will be given a ballot of candidates for their party. Unaffiliated voters may choose which party’s ballot they wish to cast their vote on.
- A general election is a regular election of candidates for office, as opposed to a primary election.
It’s up to you! This is what the NC State Board of Elections says about party affiliation:
North Carolina recognizes five political parties: The Democratic Party, the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, the No Labels Party, and the Republican Party. A voter may choose one political party or can decide not to register with a political party. If a voter does not register with a political party, the voter will be registered as unaffiliated.
In a partisan primary, voters affiliated with a political party may only vote their party’s ballot and may not vote in another party’s primary. For example, a registered Republican may only vote in the Republican Party primary. This remains true even if the party you are affiliated with does not have a primary, such as the No Labels Party and the Green Party in 2024. Unaffiliated voters may choose any one political party’s ballot or a nonpartisan ballot (if available) in a primary election.
In a general election, voters may vote for the candidate(s) of their choice, regardless of party. North Carolina does not allow straight-ticket voting (also called straight-party voting).
Where you register to vote will not affect federal financial aid such as Pell Grants and Perkins or Stafford loans or your dependency status regarding FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
If you receive scholarship money from a state, county, town, or private entity (i.e., an entity other than the federal government) you should confirm that residency in a particular place is not a requirement of the scholarship and/or that voter registration in NC will not affect your eligibility.
Civic Engagement
Contact Us
Phone: 336.256.0538
Email: [email protected]
UNC Greensboro Suite 217, Elliott University Center Greensboro, NC 27402-6170
Location and Hours
The Office of Leadership & Civic Engagement is located on the second floor of the Elliott University Center (EUC), in suite 217. We are open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.