Press

Voter Information for March 3, 2026 Primary Elections

Jeremy Sprinkle
Social share icons

IMPORTANT DEADLINES

  • General Election Date: Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026
  • Deadline to Register to Vote on Election Day Itself: Friday, February 6th by 5PM
  • Early Voting with Same Day Registration Begins: Thursday, February 12th, 2026
  • Early Voting with Same Day Registration Ends: Saturday, February 28th, 2026 at 3PM
  • Absentee Ballot Request Deadline: Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 by 5PM
  • Absentee Ballot Return Deadline: Absentee Ballots must be received at your county Board of Elections by 7:30PM Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026

VOTER ID

Voters must present a photo ID to vote in North Carolina, but there are some exceptions. Find more information here.

GET HELP VOTING

Election Protection Hotline: 1-888-OUR-VOTE 

Democracy North Carolina owns and operates the state’s premier nonpartisan voter hotline: 888-OUR-VOTE (888-687-8683). The hotline is available Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the year. Callers may ask questions about how to register to vote and cast a ballot in North Carolina or report voting problems. 

NC VOTER LOOKUP

Are you sure you're registered to vote? Do you really know where your polling location is? 

Use this tool provided by the NC State Board of Elections to search for voter details, including jurisdictions, polling place, sample ballot when available, absentee ballot information, and voter history.

Lookup Your Registration

HOW TO VOTE IN NC

There are 3 ways to vote in North Carolina:

  1. Vote by Mail (Absentee Voting)
  2. Vote during Early Voting (One-Stop Voting)
  3. Vote on Election Day

Voting by Mail

There are 3 steps to Voting By Mail in North Carolina, and any registered voter can do it - you do NOT need a special reason:

  1. Submit an Absentee Ballot Request Form.
    1. Online Portal
    2. 2026 NC Absentee Ballot Request Form in English (PDF)
    3. 2026 NC Absentee Ballot Request Form in Spanish (PDF) (not yet available as of Jan 13th)
  2. Vote your ballot.
  3. Return your ballot by submitting to your county board of elections in person or by mail. Track the status of your Absentee Ballot from start to finish at northcarolina.ballottrax.net/voter.

Visit votebymail.ncsbe.gov to access the North Carolina Absentee Ballot Portal.

Learn More About Voting By Mail

Voting Early

Early Voting lasts 17 days and ends on the Saturday before Election Day. By voting early, you can:

  1. Avoid long lines on Election Day.
  2. Access more flexible voting hours and locations. Lookup early voting locations in your county.
  3. Register or update your registration on-site. Note: On-site registration is NOT AVAILABLE on Election Day.

Learn more About Early Voting

Voting on Election Day

Polls are open from 6:30 AM – 7:30 PM. If you are in line by 7:30 PM, the location has to stay open until you vote.

You must already be registered to vote.

You must vote at your assigned voting location. Look up your polling place.

If you have problems, call 888-687-8683 for assistance. 

Learn More About Election Day Voting

HOW TO REGISTER

Submit a Paper Form

To register to vote the old fashioned way, you must:

  1. Download a voter registration form.
  2. Complete and sign the form.
  3. Mail the form to your county board of elections at least 25 days prior to Election Day.

Download The Form (English) 

Download The Form (Spanish)

Register Online (via DMV)

You may apply to register to vote online via the NC Department of Motor Vehicles:

  1. There is no fee to apply for voter registration online via the DMV.
  2. Updated information will only apply to your voter registration.
  3. Select “Continue as a guest” to bypass creating an account.
  4. Select "Submit a voter registration application".
  5. Enter your NC Driver License or DMV-issued ID Card number, your Social Security number, and your date of birth.
  6. If you don't have a NC license or ID card or wish to make a name change, you'll have to submit a paper form instead.

Continue to myDMV Services

Register During Early Voting

You can register to vote or update your registration and immediately cast your ballot in one convenient stop:

  1. Available to any eligible voter.
  2. Must be done in the county where you live.
  3. Lookup early voting locations in your county.

Learn What Documents You’ll Need

Registration Repair Project

Some previously registered voters received a notice from the Board of Elections that their voter registration is missing a driver’s license number or the last four digits of their social security number. In order to avoid voting provisionally in the next election, you can repair your registration in-person, online, or by using the paper notice you received.

Learn about Registration Repair and check if your registration needs repairing.