Planning to vote in Mecklenburg County? Here are a few tips to help you cast your vote with ease!
Five Things You Should Know Before You Head to the Polls
1) You can vote by mail, but pay attention to deadlines.
Any voter registered in Mecklenburg County can request an absentee ballot from the Board of Elections. This means you can request a mailed ballot which you can complete from anywhere in the world. BUT – pay close attention to deadlines for requesting a ballot AND for submitting it. To make sure you don’t miss your chance, keep a close eye on the elections schedule.
2) Early voting and same-day registration go hand-in-hand.
Did you know that early voting is actually a method of absentee voting? If you’re not registered or your address has changed, you’ll need to take care of that before getting your vote in! Early voting is a one-stop-shop where you can vote, register, and change your address all at once. If you aren’t registered on election day you can’t vote, so check your voting status here. If your name doesn’t pop up, you aren’t registered.
Need another reason to vote early? You can vote at any convenient early voting location, but on election day you must vote at your assigned precinct.
3) Your ballot is unique to your home, but it doesn’t have to be a surprise.
Nobody wants to walk into the voting booth and see a voting choice they weren’t prepared to make. What if you could know exactly what your ballot looked like before you got to the polls? Well… (and I bet you didn’t see this coming) … you can! View your sample ballot ahead of time so you can do your research, complete it, and then bring it with you to your voting location to make quick work of that REAL ballot!
4) Kids can vote too!
Kids voting isn’t just for presidential elections. Generation Nation (formerly Kids Voting) is a local nonprofit organization aiming to build civic literacy and leadership from an early age. Each year students have the chance to participate in the November election by voting online or at school, visiting community polling sites and running their own student voting booth! For more details about Generation Nation and student voting, visit their website.
5) Years of election data is at your fingertips.
Okay, maybe you don’t need this to vote. But, historical data can be helpful (and kind of interesting). For example, you can look at the number of people who visited each early voting location if you’re trying to decide which one is likely to be less busy (last year it was Elon Rec Center). You can also view results for elections dating back to 1995!
Still need more information? Visit our Board of Elections online or call 704-336-2133.