A record number of North Carolinians will vote by mail. Here’s what you need to know.
With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, North Carolinians are expected to vote by mail in record numbers.
State election officials say as many as 40% of the state’s voters could vote by mail. That’s 10 times the usual number.
Mail-in voting has become a lightning rod, with President Trump suggesting it could lead to a fraudulent election and saying Democrats will use it to “steal the election.”
On top of that the selection of North Carolinian Louis DeJoy, a major GOP fundraiser, as postmaster general has raised questions — and concerns — about the role of the postal service in getting ballots to and from voters. But even Republicans have aggressive campaigns to encourage absentee voting.
Political scientist Michael Bitzer of Catawba College tweeted this week that North Carolina already has seen more absentee requests than in all of 2016.
Here’s what you need to know.
Are absentee and mail-in voting the same?
Essentially, yes. In both cases, the voter receives a ballot by mail, fills it out, and mails it or delivers it back in. A slight difference in the terms is that with absentee voting, the voter has to request a ballot. In nine states and the District of Columbia all voters will be mailed ballots this fall. And in nine states voters are automatically sent an absentee ballot request form.
In North Carolina voters have to ask for one.
Who can vote absentee?
Any registered N.C. voter. Voters can also vote in person early from Oct. 15-31 or on Election Day, Nov. 3.
How do I request an absentee ballot?
Some political parties and advocacy groups have sent out application forms. The State Board of Elections just released a new, more user-friendly request form. You can download it from the state board of elections web site or by going to your county board of elections (in Mecklenburg County, at 741 Kenilworth Ave., Charlotte, 28204).
The forms can be returned to your county board of elections by mail, email, fax or in person.
Starting Sept. 1, the state elections board will have a special request portal on its web site.
What’s the deadline for requesting one?
The deadline is 5 p.m. Oct. 27. But with the expected crush of ballots and questions about the postal service, it’s better not to wait that long. Gerry Cohen, a Wake County elections board member and a former General Assembly attorney, says waiting until Oct. 27 to request a form is “setting up the voter for failure.”
“The deadline set 40 years ago has been unrealistic for years,” he tweeted. “Voters will have best success if they get an absentee request to (their) county by Oct. 15.”
Can I request an absentee ballot for anyone?
No. Only for yourself or a close relative. Election officials define that as a spouse, brother, sister, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, step-parent, or step-child.
I got a ballot request form from a group I’ve never heard of. Can I trust it?
It depends. As Raleigh’s News & Observer reported, be careful with unsolicited request forms. If it’s partially filled out, election officials won’t accept it. If it’s blank, it’s probably fine.
When will the actual ballots go out?
Beginning Sept. 4. That’s earlier than many places in the country.
If you requested a ballot by then and don’t receive it, contact your local board of elections. In Mecklenburg, call 704-336-2133.
Do I still need two witnesses?
No. The General Assembly changed it to one this year. You’re supposed to mark your ballot in the witness’s presence.
What’s the deadline for returning it?
The ballot has to be postmarked no later than Election Day. And then it has to be received by the elections board within three days of the election.
Some have asked if the ballots will be postmarked, since all mail no longer automatically is. Here’s a USPS statement: “The Postal Service’s policy is to postmark ballots, regardless of the postage payment method. We instruct employees about the Postal Service’s postmarking processes and procedures for ballots leading up to the election.”
Where can I return it?
You can mail it to the board of elections or physically drop it off. To mail it you can use a commercial courier service such as DHL, FedEx or UPS. You can also drop it off at an early voting site during their hours of operation. Mecklenburg expects to have 33, though the list isn’t final.
How do I make sure it’s counted?
Follow the rules on the ballot or make sure you follow the instructions on the state election board website.
About 2,200 absentee ballots from the March primary were rejected, according to an Observer analysis, along with thousands more from the last two general elections. They were rejected for everything from people forgetting to sign to having incomplete information about the witness to missing the deadline.
Aren’t there a lot of candidates to learn about?
Yes there are. Voters will cast ballots for president, U.S. Senate and Congress as well as governor and other statewide and local races. McClatchy newspapers, including the Observer, the Raleigh News & Observer and the Durham Herald Sun, will publish an online voting guide for subscribers in early September on the candidates in contested races. And editorial boards will make endorsements.
Is the postal service slowing down mail?
DeJoy, the postmaster general, said Tuesday that he’s suspending changes that critics feared would slow down mail delivery this fall. Since taking over the postal service this summer, he’s eliminated overtime and made other changes that made some, including many postal workers, fear a slowdown.
Why do critics worry about mail voting?
Exhibit A is North Carolina’s 2018 9th Congressional District race, when an operative in Bladen County was accused of harvesting absentee ballots on behalf of Republican candidate Mark Harris of Charlotte. State officials called for a new election last year.
But multiple studies have found very little voting fraud in the U.S.
Staff writer Gavin Off contributed.
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 12:00 PM.
