Frequently Asked Questions
Voter Registration
- You must be a United States citizen.
- You must be 18 years old or will be at the time of the next general election.
- You must be a resident of Jones County, North Carolina, for 30 days before the election in which you intend to vote.
- You must not vote in any other county or state after submitting a voter registration application in Jones County. If registered elsewhere, you understand that you are canceling that registration upon becoming registered to vote in Jones County.
- You must not be serving a felony sentence, including any period of probation, post-release supervision, or parole.
You must complete a Voter Registration Application and mail or deliver to the elections office at least 25 days prior to an election. A Voters Information Card will be mailed to you once your registration application has been processed. This card provides your proof of registration and also provides useful information as to your precinct number and polling location. The card also displays what jurisdictions you vote in. Please retain this card as it may be used to change your address by mail should you move, change your name or change your party affiliation within Jones County. It can also be used to cancel your Jones County registration should you move out of the county. This card is not required on Election Day in order to vote. Jones County has a permanent registration system. You need to register or request a change in your registration only if you:
- Have not registered in Jones County before.
- Have moved within the county since the last election. It is a violation of the law to vote in your old precinct if you moved more than 30 days prior to the election.
- Wish to change your party affiliation or have legally changed your name.
A registration application/change form must be postmarked or delivered to the Board of Elections 25 days prior to an election in order to be valid for that election.
The deadline to register to vote in North Carolina is 25 days before the date of an election. The voter registration application must be received by the board of elections by this date. If an application is received after the deadline, the application may still be timely if it was mailed and it is postmarked on or before the voter registration deadline; otherwise, the application will not be processed until after the election. Persons who register at the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles or another voter registration agency will be considered registered as of the date the application is given to the agency. As long as this date is on or before the voter registration deadline, then the application will be deemed timely for an upcoming election
Eligible individuals may register and vote during the early voting period. This same-day registration option remains the subject of ongoing litigation in federal court. Please check back at this website for updates. Click here to check your voter registration status.
Inactive status can be the result of a number of list maintenance procedures outlined in NC law.
Inactive voters are registered voters and will be listed in the pollbooks. If an inactive voter presents to vote, they will need to verify their address at the voting location.
The Board of Elections removes voters listed on an official list of deceased persons sent by the state each month. If you are a near relative of a deceased voter, please contact our office at 252-448-3921 for more information on canceling their registration.
If you have been convicted of a misdemeanor you do not lose your right to vote. To register to vote, you must not be serving a felony conviction, including any period of probation, post-release supervision, or parole. View information on registering as a person in the NC Criminal Justice System.
Elections & Voting
Voters will now be asked to present a valid photo identification when voting in person. If you do not have a valid photo ID card, you may obtain one from your county board of elections before the election, through the end of the early voting period.
If you do not have a valid photo ID card on Election Day, you may still vote and have your vote counted by signing an affidavit of reasonable impediment (or “Photo ID Exception Form”) as to why you have not presented a valid photo ID. The Exception Form can also be used if you have a religious objection to being photographed or are a victim of a recently declared natural disaster.
As an alternative, if you don’t have your ID when you vote, you can still vote and then bring your valid photo ID to your county board of elections by 5 p.m. on the ninth day after Election Day (or the sixth day after Election Day for September or October local elections).
If you vote by mail, then you must include a photocopy of a valid photo ID when returning your ballot. You may also complete the Absentee Photo ID Exception Form that is provided with your absentee ballot materials.
A list of all types of ID that can be used for voting is available on the State Board of Elections Voter ID webpage. For information on how to get a free ID, see Get a Free Voter Photo ID.
On Election Day, the polls are open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
If you are not sure of your voter registration, call the Board of Elections office at 252-448-3921 and we can verify your registration status. You may also visit the NC State Board of Elections website to determine your registration status and voting location. This information is updated daily.
When you register or make an address change or information change, or if the Board of Elections assigns you to a new precinct or polling place, the Board of Elections sends you a new voter card. Your voting place (polling place) is printed on the card. You are assigned a polling place based on the precinct where you live. You may also search with The State Board of Elections Precinct Search to determine your registration status and voting location. The voter information there is updated daily. If you don’t know where to vote or if you have moved from the residence address that we have on file contact us. Please don’t wait until Election Day as you may experience a delay in voting if your residence address is not up to date or if we have sent mail to your voter registration address that was returned to us by the Postal Service.
If you are a registered voter in North Carolina, you can find it by entering your first and last name in the Voter Search. Once you find your name, click it to see your voter details, and scroll down to find “Your Sample Ballot.”
Paper sample ballots are also available at the Jones County Board of Elections Office.
You can view the 2024 General Election sample ballots here.
If you moved within Jones County more than 30 days prior to an election and failed to notify the Board of Elections, you have two options:
Vote early at an early voting location.
- Early voting is the easiest and quickest option if you did not update your address. NC General Statutes allow voters to change their address and vote the correct ballot for that updated address when voting at any early voting location.
Vote at your new precinct on Election Day.
- You may be required to vote a provisional ballot. Please give yourself plenty of time to update your information at your new precinct. The process requires additional time to complete the forms necessary to update your information before you can be issued a ballot.
On Election Day, you vote in your assigned precinct in order to make sure you receive a ballot that contains all contests for which you are eligible to vote. If you do not vote in your correct precinct on Election Day, you must vote a provisional ballot. If you think you may not make it to your precinct on Election Day, please consider voting early at an Early Voting site or absentee by mail. Click here to locate your assigned precinct polling location.
No. State law prohibits photographing or videotaping a voted ballot under Limited access to the voting enclosure (N.C.G.S. § 163-166.3).
Photographing a marked ballot is illegal in part because the photographs could be used as proof of a vote for a candidate in a vote-buying scheme. Electronic communication while voting is prohibited because of limits on voter assistance and to prevent disruptions in the voting place.
Voters may bring voting guides, notes, and other materials into the voting booth. Voters are allowed to have phones or electronic devices with them to access a slate card or candidate information while voting, if the devices are not used to photograph or videotape a ballot or communicate with anyone via voice, text, email, or any other method.
A voter may enter a polling place to vote wearing political items as long as they proceed to vote in an orderly and timely manner, and do not attempt to electioneer within the voting place. A voter wearing a T-shirt that states “vote for X,” shouts “vote for X,” or places his T-shirt in the sight line of voters asking support for “X” is obviously electioneering and will be asked to refrain from the conduct at once and, if they continue, will be removed.
A voter who has a political cap, T-shirt or button and does not electioneer within the polling place will be allowed to vote in a normal manner. A voter wearing a political item does not violate GS 163-166.4.
The guidelines for election related activity are below:
§ 163 – 166.4. Limitation on activity in the voting place and in a buffer zone around it.
(a) Buffer Zone. – No person or group of persons shall hinder access, harass others, distribute campaign literature, place political advertising, solicit votes, or otherwise engage in election-related activity in the voting place or in a buffer zone which shall be prescribed by the county board of elections around the voting place. In determining the dimensions of that buffer zone for each voting place, the county board of elections shall, where practical, set the limit at 50 feet from the door of entrance to the voting place, measured when that door is closed, but in no event shall it set the limit at more than 50 feet or at less than 25 feet.
(b) Area for Election-Related Activity. – Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, the county board of elections shall also provide an area adjacent to the buffer zone for each voting place in which persons or groups of persons may distribute campaign literature, place political advertising, solicit votes, or otherwise engage in election-related activity.
(c) Special Agreements About Election-Related Activity. – The Executive Director of the State Board may grant special permission for a county board of elections to enter into an agreement with the owners or managers of a nonpublic building to use the building as a voting place on the condition that election-related activity as described in subsection (b) of this section not be permitted on their property adjacent to the buffer zone, if the Executive Director finds all of the following:
(1) That no other suitable voting place can be secured for the precinct.
(2) That the county board will require the chief judge of the precinct to monitor the grounds around the voting place to ensure that the restriction on election-related activity shall apply to all candidates and parties equally.
(3) That the pattern of voting places subject to agreements under this subsection does not disproportionately favor any party, racial or ethnic group, or candidate.
An agreement under this subsection shall be valid for as long as the nonpublic building is used as a voting place.
(d) Notice About Buffer Zone and Area for Election-Related Activity. – No later than 30 days before each election, the county board of elections shall make available to the public the following information concerning each voting place:
(1) The door from which the buffer zone is measured.
(2) The distance the buffer zone extends from that door.
(3) Any available information concerning where political activity, including sign placement, is permitted beyond the buffer zone.
(e) Buffer Zone and Area for Election-Related Activity at One-Stop Sites. – Except as modified in this subsection, the provisions of this section shall apply to one-stop voting sites in G.S. 163-227.2, 163-227.5, 163-227.6.
(1) Subsection (c) of this section shall not apply.
(2) The notice in subsection (d) of this section shall be provided no later than 10 days before the opening of one-stop voting at the site. (2001-460, s. 3; 2003-365, s. 1; 2007-391, s. 13; 2008-187, s. 33(a); 2009-541, s. 22(a); 2017-6, s. 3.)
§ 163-166.3. Limited access to the voting enclosure.
(a) Persons Who May Enter Voting Enclosure. – During the time allowed for voting in the voting place, only the following persons may enter the voting enclosure:
(1) An election official.
(2) An observer appointed pursuant to G.S. 163-45.
(3) A runner appointed pursuant to G.S. 163-45, but only to the extent necessary to announce that runner’s presence and to receive the voter list as provided in G.S. 163-45.
(4) A person seeking to vote in that voting place on that day but only while in the process of voting or seeking to vote.
(5) A voter in that precinct while entering or explaining a challenge pursuant to G.S. 163-87 or G.S. 163-88.
(6) A person authorized under G.S. 163-166.8 to assist a voter but, except as provided in subdivision (7) of this section, only while assisting that voter.
(7) Minor children of the voter under the age of 18, or minor children under the age of 18 in the care of the voter, but only while accompanying the voter and while under the control of the voter.
(8) Persons conducting or participating in a simulated election within the voting place or voting enclosure, if that simulated election is approved by the county board of elections.
(9) Any other person determined by election officials to have an urgent need to enter the voting enclosure but only to the extent necessary to address that need.
You may request an absentee ballot. See the Absentee by Mail Voting FAQs section below for more information on absentee by mail voting.
If you prefer to vote on Election Day or at an Early Voting site but are unable to enter the facility, you may vote outside the voting location in your vehicle. This procedure is called “curbside voting.” Look for the curbside voting sign near the entrance to the voting place and park there.
An election official will assist you in verifying your registration information and bringing you a ballot. If you cannot locate an election official in the parking lot, please ask someone to enter the voting place and inform the election officials that you need assistance.
The same rules apply to both the driver and passengers. All persons wishing to vote curbside must sign an affidavit stating they cannot enter the polling place or Early Voting site due to age or physical disability.
The guidelines for voter assistance are listed below:
§ 163-166.8. Assistance to voters.
(a) Any registered voter qualified to vote in the election shall be entitled to assistance with entering and exiting the voting booth and in preparing ballots in accordance with the following rules:
(1) Any voter is entitled to assistance from the voter’s spouse, brother, sister, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, stepparent, or stepchild, as chosen by the voter.
(2) A voter in any of the following four categories is entitled to assistance from a person of the voter’s choice, other than the voter’s employer or agent of that employer or an officer or agent of the voter’s union:
a. A voter who, on account of physical disability, is unable to enter the voting booth without assistance.
b. A voter who, on account of physical disability, is unable to mark a ballot without assistance.
c. A voter who, on account of illiteracy, is unable to mark a ballot without assistance.
d. A voter who, on account of blindness, is unable to enter the voting booth or mark a ballot without assistance.
(b) A qualified voter seeking assistance in an election shall, upon arriving at the voting place, request permission from the chief judge to have assistance, stating the reasons. If the chief judge determines that such assistance is appropriate, the chief judge shall ask the voter to point out and identify the person the voter desires to provide such assistance. If the identified person meets the criteria in subsection (a) of this section, the chief judge shall request the person indicated to render the assistance. The chief judge, one of the judges, or one of the assistants may provide aid to the voter if so requested, if the election official is not prohibited by subdivision (a) (2) of this section. Under no circumstances shall any precinct official be assigned to assist a voter qualified for assistance, who was not specified by the voter.
(c) A person rendering assistance to a voter in an election shall be admitted to the voting booth with the voter being assisted. The State Board shall promulgate rules governing voter assistance, and those rules shall adhere to the following guidelines:
(1) The person rendering assistance shall not in any manner seek to persuade or induce any voter to cast any vote in any particular way.
(2) The person rendering assistance shall not make or keep any memorandum of anything which occurs within the voting booth.
(3) The person rendering assistance shall not, directly or indirectly, reveal to any person how the assisted voter marked ballots, unless the person rendering assistance is called upon to testify in a judicial proceeding for a violation of the election laws. (2001-460, s. 3; 2017-6, s. 3.)
Yes, you may receive assistance from any person of your choice, except your employer or union agent. Alternately, you may ask an election official to assist you.
No. A person in possession of a Power of Attorney for an individual is not permitted to apply for voter registration, to vote in person, or to vote by absentee ballot for the individual. If you cannot make it to the polling place or Early Voting site, you may request an absentee ballot.
Party affiliation determines the primary in which a voter is eligible to vote. If you do not declare a party, you will be registered as unaffiliated. If you are an unaffiliated voter, you may choose to vote in the Democratic, Republican, or Libertarian Party Primary (or nonpartisan ballot if available). You may choose only one party’s primary. Participating in one of the partisan primaries will not affect your unaffiliated status.
The deadline to change party affiliation is 25 days prior to the date of the Primary.
Address Changes
If you moved fewer than 30 days before the date of the election, you must vote at your old precinct or at an Early Voting location. Click here to view your polling place.
If you updated your address with the Board of Elections, you may go to your new polling place. Click here to find your polling place.
If you did not update your address with the Board of Elections, the easiest and most convenient way to vote is at the Early Voting location. You may vote on Election Day, but you may be required to vote a provisional ballot.
Reasons for removing voter registration are very specifically outlined in North Carolina General Statute 163-82.14. We cannot cancel a voter’s registration just because someone tells us that we should. Voter registration cards are sent first class mail and are addressed to a specific person. Any first class mail that you receive that is not addressed to you should be returned to the postman unopened. You should note on the piece of mail that the person does not live at your address. Only after two or more such mailings are returned to our office and then after two federal elections have passed may we begin the removal process. Otherwise, we must receive official notice that the voter has registered elsewhere, has died, or has been convicted of a felony before we can remove a voter’s registration records. We may also remove a voter’s registration records if we receive a signed written request from the voter.
Jones County Board of Elections
367 Hwy 58 S, Unit B
Trenton, NC 28585
Phone: 252-448-3921
Fax: 252-448-1040
Director: Jessica Taylor
Hours of Operation
Monday-Thursday
8am-5pm
Fridays
8am-Noon
Absentee by Mail Voting
Yes. Listing an excuse is no longer required.
Any registered voter in Jones County may request an absentee ballot or may vote at the Early Voting location. No excuse is required.
Registered voters can request an Absentee Ballot using the North Carolina Absentee Ballot Portal.
Absentee Ballots can also be requested in person at the Jones County Board of Elections Office.
The absentee request deadline is 5:00 p.m. two weeks prior to each election.
A voter’s near relative may request an absentee ballot for the voter. In lieu of the voter’s signature, the request must include the requester’s signature, address, daytime phone number, and relationship to the voter.
A near relative includes: parent, spouse, brother, sister, grandparent, child, grandchild, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, stepparent, or stepchild. A person with Power of Attorney for the voter is NOT considered a near relative.
No. An absentee ballot request must be made in writing on the approved form, signed by the voter or the voter’s near relative.
Yes. However, if you have a continuous or expected illness or disability, you may request an absentee ballot be sent to you for all elections that you are eligible for in that calendar year. The absentee ballots will be mailed separately at the appropriate time.
On the absentee ballot return envelope for a primary election, you will have the opportunity to request a ballot for the 2nd Primary if you are eligible.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 5 p.m. two weeks before an election.
Requesting an absentee ballot will not prevent you from voting in person during Early Voting or on Election Day. If you do choose to vote in person, please trash or destroy your absentee ballot; do not return it to the Board of Elections.
Absentee ballot requests do not appear on the NC Voter Search tool on our website because they are considered confidential information. Voters can contact the Board of Elections regarding the status of their absentee ballot request.
Yes. You can request a replacement absentee ballot to be sent to you if needed. Please call 252-448-3921 or email Jessica.Taylor@jonescountync.gov.
An absentee ballot shall be counted as timely if it is received by the County Board of Elections office no later than 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
A person in possession of a Power of Attorney for an individual is not permitted to apply for voter registration, to vote in person, or to vote by absentee ballot for the individual.
Yes, if that person is your spouse, brother, sister, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, stepparent, stepchild, or legal guardian, they may return it to the Jones County Board of Elections Office.
You may, due to disability, ask someone other than a near relative (outlined above) to return your ballot. The individual returning your sealed ballot must sign the Voter Assistant Certification on the back of the Ballot Envelope.
If hand-delivering, it must be logged in when delivered. Dropboxes are not permitted under North Carolina Law.
Equivalent to $1.77 in postage.
No. The returned ballot envelope is specific to each voter and must contain that voter’s ballot.
Yes. Your voted absentee ballot, sealed in the container envelope with the application and witness portions completed, must be in the Jones County Board of Elections Office by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
If hand-delivering, it must be logged in when delivered. Dropboxes are not permitted under North Carolina Law.
Yes. You must stand in line with the rest of the voters until you get inside. Once inside you must go to the registration/check-in table. You will hand your voted absentee ballot, sealed in the container envelope with the application and witness portions completed, to the elections official and will be required to fill out an absentee ballot return log. Once logged, you will exit through the same exit as the other voters exiting. This is the safest way for both voters and election officials.
If hand-delivering, it must be logged in when delivered. Dropboxes are not permitted under North Carolina law.
No. Hand-delivered absentee ballots, sealed in the container envelope with the application and witness portions completed, may be submitted to the Jones County Board of Elections Office and must be received by the 7:30 p.m. deadline on or before Election Day.
It is recommended that the ballot be mailed several days in advance of Election Day. An absentee ballot shall be accepted as timely if it is received by the County Board of Elections office no later than 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
A postmark on or before Election Day does not establish timely receipt of a ballot delivered after the deadline (7:30 p.m. on Election Day).
The mail-in absentee ballots are counted at the Election Day Board Meeting, but the results are not posted until after the close of the polls at 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
NO. Your vote will be counted on Election Day along with the ballots cast in the precincts.
Visit voting information for military and overseas voters at these websites:
Early Voting
Yes. Eligible individuals may register and vote during the Early Voting period. Please note that same-day registration is not available during second primaries.
Any eligible Jones County voter.
Yes. You may update your name and address before voting.
If you moved 30 or more days before Election Day, you will receive the ballot style of your new address.
If you moved fewer than 30 days before Election Day, you will receive the ballot style of your old address.
College students may register to vote in the county/state of their home address or in the county/state where they are attending college. Learn about Election Day, absentee by mail, and Early Voting options for college students here.
Eligible individuals may register and vote during the Early Voting period.
If you have been convicted of a misdemeanor you do not lose your right to vote.
To register to vote, you must not be serving a felony sentence, including any period of probation, post-release supervision, or parole.
View information on registering as a person in the NC Criminal Justice System
No. Changes to party affiliation cannot be made during the Early Voting period.
If you are unable to enter the facility, you may vote outside the voting location in your vehicle. This procedure is called “curbside voting.” Look for the curbside voting sign near the entrance to the voting place and park there.
An election official will assist you in verifying your registration information and bringing you a ballot. If you cannot locate an election official in the parking lot, please ask someone to enter the voting place and inform the election officials that you need assistance.
No. Your vote will be counted on Election Day along with the ballots cast in the polling places.
