Want to see who’s on your NC ballot before voting? How to find a sample ballot online
This year’s general election will decide the fate of several key positions, and several North Carolina voters have already cast their ballots.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5 but if you want to cast your ballot in person beforehand, the state’s early voting period runs Thursday, Oct. 17 through Saturday, Nov. 2.
Regardless of when you head to the polls, you do have the opportunity to take a peek at a sample ballot.
How to find your NC sample ballot
All registered North Carolina voters have access to a sample ballot through the North Carolina State Board of Elections’ Voter Search tool. These are usually available 50 days before Election Day during even numbered years, according to the NCSBE website.
For the voter search tool — which can be accessed online at vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup — you’ll enter your name, year of birth, your county and voter status. Along with a sample ballot, you’ll also be able to access your voter details, your jurisdictions, polling place, absentee ballot information and voter history.
You can also download a sample ballot for practice ahead of voting at the polls through the NC Absentee Ballot Portal online at votebymail.ncsbe.gov/app/home.
Voter guides with candidate information
Ahead of the general election, The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer’s politics teams have compiled robust voter guides featuring candidate questionnaires for North Carolina races to help our readers make informed decisions when voting. The guides are free to use without a subscription.
To check out more information about the candidates you’ll find on your ballot, you can access voter guides for:
- Triangle area voters at newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/voter-guide
- Charlotte area voters at charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/voter-guide
Note: We reached out to all candidates, but some didn’t respond, so they won’t appear in these guides. But all will still be listed at the top of each questionnaire.
You can also access the State Board of Elections’ candidate lists for voters, advocacy groups, political parties, candidates, and the public online at ncsbe.gov/results-data/candidate-lists.
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