Did you know elections are happening right now in North Carolina? GO VOTE!

You still have time to vote if you live in one of the 385 municipalities in North Carolina that are holding local elections this fall.

Whether you knew it or not, early voting began on Oct. 19 and it ends on Nov. 4. According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE), approximately 465 cities, towns and villages in 86 of the state’s 100 counties are holding elections this fall. Of those 465 municipalities, 80 don’t use early or absentee voting, so voters there will need to vote on Election Day, which is Nov. 7.

Early voting locations and schedules can be found at the NCSBE’s Early Voting Site Search and by checking the One-Stop Voting Sites for the Nov.7 Election PDF.

Statewide, there are 135 early voting sites open for the November elections.

Here are the requirements to vote:

• As per state law, all voters must show a valid form of identification to vote. 
• People who vote by mail will need to send a photocopy of their acceptable ID when they return their ballot.
• Voters must live and be registered to vote in a municipality to vote in its elections. 
• Check the Voter Search tool to see if you’re eligible to vote.

In many cases, turnout for municipal elections is so low that races are decided by just a few votes.

“The candidates elected in November will make important decisions for local communities, such as setting tax rates, approving new developments, deciding how many police officers and firefighters to hire, and choosing where to build parks and sidewalks,” said Karen Brinson Bell, State Board executive director and the state’s chief elections official. “If history is a guide, some municipal contests will be very, very close, and ties are not unheard of, so every vote matters.”