Fall Edition 2026 | Living Power Magazine
By RGEA Director of Government Relations Jackson Cozort
2026 North Carolina Voter’s Guide
Every election year, millions of dollars are spent telling us who deserves our vote. Television commercials fill the airwaves. Mailboxes fill with campaign flyers. Phones buzz with text messages. Social media feeds suddenly become crowded with candidates, political parties, advocacy groups, friends, neighbors, and that one cousin who has apparently become an expert on constitutional law.
But before deciding who gets your vote, there is another question worth answering:
Do you know exactly how, when, and where you are going to cast it?
Our intent is not to tell you which candidates deserve your support. That decision belongs entirely to you. Instead, we want to make sure every RGEA member has the information needed to participate confidently in North Carolina’s 2026 General Election.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, but North Carolinians have several ways to make their voices heard before then.
SAVE THESE DATES
October 9 at 5 pm
Regular voter registration deadline.
October 15
Early voting begins. Same-day registration is available during the early voting period.
October 20 at 5 pm
Deadline to request an absentee ballot.
October 31 at 3 pm
Early voting ends.
NOVEMBER 3—ELECTION DAY
Polls are open from 6:30 am until 7:30 pm. Completed absentee ballots must also be received by 7:30 pm.
Start With Your Voter Record
One of the easiest things you can do before Election Day takes only a few minutes.
Visit ncsbe.gov and use the State Board of Elections Voter Search tool.
There you can check whether your voter registration is active and accurate, find your Election Day polling place, see the voting districts in which you live, review absentee ballot information, and view your sample ballot once ballots have been finalized.
That last one is especially useful.
Your ballot is based on where you live, which means your neighbor across town may see different contests than you do. Looking at your sample ballot before voting gives you time to research candidates and offices without encountering an unfamiliar name for the first time while standing at the voting machine.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO, visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections Voter Search: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/reglkup/
Check your registration. Find your polling place. See your districts. View your sample ballot.
Three Ways to Vote
North Carolina voters have three basic options: vote early in person, vote at their assigned polling place on Election Day, or vote using an absentee ballot.
Early voting begins October 15 and continues through October 31. During early voting, you may vote at any early voting location in your county. You are not limited to your Election Day polling place.
Election Day works differently. On November 3, voters should report to their assigned polling place. Polls will be open from 6:30 am until 7:30 pm. If you are in line at your polling place at 7:30 pm, you are still entitled to vote.
North Carolina also allows registered voters to vote by mail using an absentee ballot. The deadline to request one for the 2026 General Election is 5 pm on October 20. County boards of elections begin sending absentee ballots to eligible voters who have requested them in September.
If you choose to vote by mail, do not wait until the last minute. Give yourself time to receive the ballot, complete it carefully, and return it before the deadline.
DID YOU KNOW? Missed the Registration Deadline?
Eligible North Carolinians who miss the October 9 regular registration deadline may still be able to register and vote during the early voting period using same-day registration. They can register at an early voting location in their county and cast a ballot during the same visit.
DID YOU KNOW? Early Voting Gives You Options?
During early voting, you can use any early voting site in your county. On Election Day, you should vote at your assigned polling place. That flexibility can make early voting especially convenient for voters balancing work, family, travel, and other responsibilities.
Do Not Forget Your Photo ID
North Carolina voters will be asked to show an acceptable photo ID when voting in person. For many voters, that will simply be a North Carolina driver’s license, but other forms of identification may also be accepted.
Do not have an acceptable photo ID? Do not assume that means you cannot vote.
Registered voters can obtain a free voter photo ID from their county board of elections. Voters who are unable to show an acceptable photo ID may also be able to complete an ID Exception Form and cast a provisional ballot.
Voting Tip: Because voting requirements can change, check the State Board of Elections website before heading to the polls rather than relying on something you remember hearing several years ago or saw shared on social media.
QUESTIONS ABOUT VOTER ID?
Visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections at ncsbe.gov for the current list of acceptable identification, information about free voter IDs, and guidance for voters who do not have an acceptable ID.
Your Ballot Is More Than the Biggest Race
The contests receiving the most television coverage are not the only important decisions on your ballot.
Depending on where you live, your ballot can include congressional, legislative, judicial, county, and local contests, along with other questions presented to voters. Many of those offices make decisions that affect your community long after the campaign signs disappear.
That is another reason to look at your sample ballot before voting. Give yourself time to learn about every contest, not simply the ones dominating the news.
RGEA’s role is not to tell you how to fill out that ballot.
Our role is to encourage you to be informed, be prepared, and participate.
Voting is one of the most direct ways citizens participate in the government that serves them. Whether you vote early, vote by mail, or walk into your polling place on November 3, make a plan now.
Check your registration. Look at your sample ballot. Learn about the candidates. Know where you are going.
And then vote.
Because democracy works best when the people who have something to say actually show up and say it.
North Carolina Election Oddities
DID YOU KNOW? You Cannot Bet on an Election?
Think you know who is going to win? Keep your wallet in your pocket. North Carolina law makes it a Class 2 misdemeanor to bet or wager money, or anything else of value, on an election. So while predicting the winner is perfectly fine, putting twenty bucks on it is another matter entirely.
DID YOU KNOW? Keep the Boisterous Conduct Under Control.
North Carolina election law contains a wonderfully old-fashioned warning against being too rowdy at the polls. State law specifically makes it unlawful to engage in “boisterous conduct” that disturbs election officials while they are performing their duties.
In other words, cast your ballot enthusiastically. Just try not to get too boisterous about it.
DID YOU KNOW? No Ballot Selfies.
Proud of voting? Take a picture with your “I Voted” sticker, but leave your completed ballot out of the photo. North Carolina law prohibits photographing, videotaping, or otherwise recording a voted official ballot.
Your phone can go to the polls with you. Your completed ballot should not go on social media.
DID YOU KNOW? A Tie Could Come Down to Random Chance
Every vote really can matter.
If an election ends in a tie and 5,000 or fewer voters cast ballots in that particular contest, North Carolina law says the winner is determined through a method of random selection established by the State Board of Elections.
If more than 5,000 voters participated in the tied contest, the State Board instead orders a new election between the tied candidates.
So yes, under the right circumstances, an entire election can eventually come down to chance.
DID YOU KNOW? Political Nicknames Have Rules?
Candidates in North Carolina may be able to use legitimate nicknames on the ballot, but the nickname cannot mislead voters or serve as campaign advertising.
The State Board of Elections actually provides examples. “Joey” can work. “Da Bomb,” “Vote For Me,” “The Judge,” and “Winner” do not.
And while Mr., Mrs., Miss, or Ms. may appear with a candidate’s name, titles such as General, Judge, or Honorable cannot be used to advertise a candidate’s rank or status on the ballot.
DID YOU KNOW? Campaign Signs Have a Legal Season.
Those campaign signs lining North Carolina roads cannot legally stay there forever.
Along state highway rights-of-way, qualifying political signs may generally be placed beginning 30 days before early voting starts and must be removed by the tenth day after the election.
And there is an especially interesting ending to the rule. If a political sign remains in the state highway right-of-way for more than 30 days after that period ends, state law considers it abandoned property, meaning someone may remove and dispose of it without penalty.
Apparently even North Carolina law eventually says, “Okay, the election is over. Take the signs down.”
DID YOU KNOW? Your Children or Grandchildren Can Come with You to Vote.
This one is less strange and more wonderful. North Carolina law specifically allows voters to bring their minor children, or minor children in their care, into the voting enclosure with them, as long as the children remain under the voter’s control.
So, taking a grandchild along to watch you participate in an election is not merely tolerated. State law specifically makes room for it.
Perhaps one of the best ways to teach the next generation about voting is simply to let them see us do it.