Absentee Voting

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 2024.

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

Active duty military members, their dependents, and U.S. citizens living abroad may request a mail-in absentee ballot the same way as other registered voters. They may also apply to register and vote through special programs for military and overseas voters.

The UOCAVA allows certain voters who are active duty military or their families as well as U.S. citizens abroad special rights that provide an expedited means to register and vote by mail-in ballot. Citizens covered by UOCAVA include:

• Members of the active or reserve components of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard 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.
• Members of the National Guard or state militia units on activated status.
• Spouses and dependents of uniformed services members listed above.
• U.S. citizens residing outside the country.

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

For more information, visit the NCSBE Military and Overseas Voting page.