Voting by Mail

Any North Carolina registered voter may request, receive, and vote a mail-in absentee ballot. No special circumstance or reason is needed. Registered voters in North Carolina must request an absentee ballot with an official N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form. There are two ways to access and submit the form:

1. Online with “Option 1 – Request an Absentee Ballot” at the N.C. Absentee Ballot Portal.

2. On paper with the N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form for 2026 Primary. (To be updated soon)

Track your absentee-by-mail ballot through the mail: Once you have requested your absentee ballot, you can track its status from printed to accepted by signing up online for status notifications through BallotTrax.

Military and Overseas Absentee Voting

The Uniformed & Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA)

The UOCAVA is a federal law requiring states to allow certain voters absent from their county of residence to have special rights that provide an expedited means for them to register and vote by mail-in absentee ballot. To qualify under the provisions of the UOCAVA in this state, a voter must be a legal resident of North Carolina.

Citizens covered by the UOCAVA include:

• Members of the active or reserve components of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Space Force of the United States who are on active duty
• Members of the Merchant Marine, the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service, or the commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States
• Members of the National Guard or state militia unit who are on activated status
• Spouses or dependents of uniformed service members
• U.S. citizens residing outside the United States

UOCAVA FORMS

UOCAVA voters should use one of the following forms to register and/or request an absentee ballot:  Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) or Federal Write-In Ballot (FWAB).

A military-overseas voter may request an absentee ballot using only one of the forms listed above, the FPCA or the FWAB, not both. Generally speaking, the FWAB serves as a backup to the FPCA. For most voters, the FPCA is the best option.

FWAB users should reference the UOCAVA Election Notice for a list of candidates: UOCAVA Notice of the 2026 Primary.

Previously registered UOCAVA voters may also use the State Absentee Ballot Request Form to request an absentee ballot. Registered voters may request a ballot through the new online Absentee Request Portal on the NC State Board of Elections website.

For more information on absentee voting for UOCAVA voters, visit the NC State Board of Elections’ Military and Overseas Voting website.

Video: How to vote absentee when you’re in the military