North Carolina offers same-day voter registration during early voting, meaning that voters are able to register to vote in person at their early polling place between October 15 and October 31, 2026. Voters can register to vote online, in-person, or by mail by October 9, 2026.
Eligibility
In order to register to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of the North Carolina county where you are registering for at least 30 days before Election Day, at least 18 years old by Election Day, and not be serving a sentence for a felony conviction, including probation, parole, or post-release supervision.
- North Carolina residents can pre-register to vote if they are 16 or 17. If a resident is 17 at the time of the primary election and will be 18 by the General Election, they may vote in the Primary Election. Voters must be 18 to vote in General Elections.
- College students have a choice of whether they want to vote in North Carolina or vote in their home state, but they may only be registered and vote at one location. Learn more about voting as a college student in North Carolina here.
- Find more information on disqualifying felonies and restoration of voting rights here.
- Find more information about the eligibility requirements for voting in North Carolina here.
Deadline
The deadline to register to vote in North Carolina for the 2026 midterm election is October 9, 2026, which is 25 days before the election. Voter registration forms submitted by mail must be postmarked 25 days before the election. North Carolina also offers same-day voter registration at voters polling place during earl voting, so voters can register and vote in person between October 15 and October 31, 2026.
Voter Registration Process
There are three methods of voter registration in North Carolina: online registration, mailing in a completed printable application, or in-person.
- Voters can register in-person before October 9 at any North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles or during the early voting period (October 15 – October 31, 2026) at any early voting site in their county.
- Further voter registration information for North Carolina can be found here.
This page was last updated on July 29, 2025.
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North Carolina offers in-person, absentee, and early voting in the 2024 General Election.
VBM Practices
All registered North Carolina voters are eligible to apply for an absentee ballot and vote by mail. Click here to access North Carolina’s absentee voting application.
- The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 7 days before the election (October 29, 2024)
- Your absentee ballot must be postmarked by Election Day and received by the County Board of Elections by 5pm on November 8, 2024 in order to be counted. If you are returning your ballot in-person, you must do so by 7:30pm on Election Day.
- Further absentee/by-mail voting information for North Carolina is listed here.
Early Voting
North Carolina offers early voting.
- Early voting begins on the third Thursday before the election (October 16, 2024) and ends at 5pm on the Saturday prior to the election (November 2, 2024)
Election Day Practices
On Election Day, the polls are open 6:30am-7:30pm.
This page was last updated on July 19, 2023
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