Election Day 2024 is Tuesday, November 5, 2024. What is your plan to go vote?

We are halfway through 2024! Like you, we at Pro-Choice North Carolina have been preparing for this huge election year. In North Carolina, that election cycle starts when early voting begins on Thursday, October 17. Are you ready to vote?

While the presidential and congressional races will get a lot attention, don't forget that it's not just politicians at the top of the ticket that we will need to cast our vote for. With races for the Governor, North Carolina Attorney General, state legislators, judges, county commissioners, and even city council and school board members, many of us will have a robust number of races on our ballot. Don't miss this opportunity to weigh in on federal, state, and local elected offices. All races on the ballot are important, and many of them have an impact on our reproductive freedom.

Let’s make sure we’re all ready to vote!

If you have any problems when you try to vote, including if the line to vote in person is more than a one hour wait, we encourage you to call the nonpartisan voter hotline at 1-800-OUR-VOTE (1-800-687-8683) to report your problem and to get help. 

1) Voter ID: 2023 was the first year North Carolinians were required to show voter ID. While North Carolina joins a number of other states with this unnecessary requirement, it unfortunately has been shown to impede some voters' access to the polls. So the first thing you should do to prepare for the election is make sure you have the proper voter ID. For many voters, that will be an unexpired (or expired less than one year) North Carolina driver's license. But not everyone has that. There are a number of IDs that have been approved for use in voting. You can find more information, and list of acceptable IDs, on the NC State Board of Elections website. Be sure to watch the short video about the voter ID requirement, as it explains what happens if your photo ID is challenged as well: https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id

If you don't have the proper photo ID when you are voting in person, you can still vote your ballot! You must also fill out a Voter ID exception form: https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id#exceptions

Your county board of election can also help you get a free ID if needed: https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id/get-free-voter-photo-id

The NC State Board of Elections also has this "10 Facts about Voter ID" list: https://www.ncsbe.gov/news/press-releases/2023/05/17/10-facts-about-ncs-photo-id-requirement-voting

This summer is a great time to make sure you have the voter ID you need for this fall's election. Don't delay!

2) Voter registration deadline: If you need to register to vote for the election, you can do so until Friday, October 11. You can find voter registration information here: https://www.ncsbe.gov/registering  

Note: during the early voting period, you can register and vote on the same day: https://www.ncsbe.gov/registering/how-register/register-person-during-early-voting

You can find important dates for this year's general election here: https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/upcoming-election

3) Make your plan to vote: Are you going to vote early? The early voting period for the general election is Thursday, October 17 - Saturday, November 2. Here is where you can find early voting sites in your county of residence: https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/vote-early-person

If you are going to vote on Election Day, you can find your polling place at the NC State Board of Elections website. If you are voting on Election Day, November 5, 2024, you must vote at your assigned polling place! https://vt.ncsbe.gov/PPLkup/

4) If you want to vote by absentee ballot, the NC Legislature made a number of unnecessary changes in 2023 that make it much more difficult for North Carolinians to vote by absentee ballot, including requiring voter ID. In addition to an ID, you will also need to request a ballot and have two witnesses with you when you vote. You will need to make sure you have enough time to get your ballot back to the appropriate election office by Election Day. If you plan to vote by absentee ballot, make your plans now! You can find detailed information on the process here: https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/vote-mail/faq-voting-mail

If you do not have the proper ID for the absentee ballot, you can fill out and return the Voter ID Exception form: https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id#exceptions

The deadline for requesting an absentee ballot for the North Carolina general election is Tuesday, October 29 at 5pm! 

Now that you have your plan for how you’ll cast your ballot, be sure to check out your ballot ahead of time! You may be surprised at how many races are on your ballot, and prior to the early voting period, you will be able to find your sample ballot here: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/

Once you’ve got your sample ballot, start learning about the candidates. You can check out candidate websites and social media, look for endorsements from organizations and people you trust and support, and be on the lookout for any candidate forums. You can even contact campaign offices to ask where the candidates stand on issues that are important to you! 

You can also check back to Pro-Choice North Carolina's website throughout the summer to find information on candidates the Pro-Choice NC PAC has endorsed, factsheets on how the different elected offices can impact reproductive health, rights, and justice, and updates on any changes in voting laws that may happen (as of late June, the North Carolina General Assembly is still in its legislative session and could still make changes to voting laws).

You can also check out the League of Women Voters' voting resource Vote411. 

If you really want to dig into the politics and stances of a candidate, you can also check out their campaign reports, to see how they are raising and spending their political donations: https://www.ncsbe.gov/campaign-finance/search-campaign-funding-and-spending-reports-and-penalties 

Now that you have the information you need and you’ve made your plan for voting in November's election, be sure to talk to 10 (or more!) of your friends and family about their plans with voting. When it comes to voting, don't assume everyone you know has the information they need to vote, or that they plan on voting. But research has shown that talking with people in your networks about voting, and helping them make concrete plans about how they will vote, does increase turnout. And when we vote, we win!

See you at the polls!