After a great start to early voting last week, North Carolina kept up the momentum. 8 days into the early voting period, over 1.25 million ballots have been cast– a 36% increase compared to this same point in 2022. 

This is great news, but we can’t stop now. We need to do more than win– we need to win big and send a powerful message that North Carolina is done with the rising costs and chaos, the attacks on our freedoms and our communities, the extremism and rampant corruption. 

Trump and his allies see the incredible turnout numbers– and they’re scared. They’ve been worried for months now, which is why they’ve been throwing the whole kitchen sink of voter suppression tactics at us. 

This week, it was their attacks on vote by mail that were in the spotlight. A federal judge upheld unnecessary and cumbersome vote-by-mail restrictions that could lead to thousands of North Carolinians having their ballots rejected. The new restrictions were put in place by the Republican-controlled State Board of Elections just hours before ballots were mailed to voters.  

North Carolina already had strict rules in place for voting by mail. But this year’s changes have tightened the rules even further, largely around how the ballot’s two envelopes must be sealed. While a seemingly minor technicality, it’s one that could lead to twice as many ballots being rejected this year. 

Here are some examples of how the new GOP restrictions could lead to a ballot being tossed: 

• If the bigger envelope is sealed but the inner envelope isn’t, the ballot can be thrown out.  
• If someone places their ballot inside the sleeve intended for their voter ID rather than in the separate envelope for their ballot, it can be thrown out. 
• If two people living together at the same address put their ballots in the same envelope, one or both ballots can be thrown out.

Did you request a mail-in ballot? At this point, the best thing you can do is to go vote early in person if you’re physically able. It’s quick and easy, plus you can avoid the uncertainty of mailing delays and strict voting restrictions. 

Vote early if you can. But in case you need it, here’s a detailed walkthrough of what you can do if you requested a mail-in ballot this year. 

Already mailed your ballot? 

• Check the status of your ballot at BallotTrax, a site run by the North Carolina State Board of Elections: northcarolina.ballottrax.net/voter/.
• If the status of your ballot says “accepted,” then you’re good to go. 
• If it says ANYTHING other than “accepted,” follow up with your local board of elections to check on the status of your ballot. You can find the contact info for your county board at vt.ncsbe.gov/BOEInfo. 
• If your ballot has not been accepted, you can still vote in person during the early voting period or on Election Day. Make a plan to vote early in person at ncvoter.org
• If you encounter any issues or have questions about the processing of your ballot, call the NC Voter Protection Hotline at 888-OUR-VOTE (888-687-8683). 

Requested a ballot, but haven’t returned it? Vote EARLY!!  

• If you’re physically able, vote early in person. It’s quick, easy, and you can do it even if you’ve already requested an absentee ballot. Just be sure to tear up and discard your absentee ballot at home.  
• Even if you hand-deliver an absentee ballot to an early voting site, you may have to wait in line only to have your ballot sent to your local county board of elections for processing. Bottom line: It’ll be quicker and easier to vote early in person.  
• If you need physical assistance, curbside voting is available at every voting site in North Carolina. Info on curbside voting can be obtained from your county board of elections. 
• You can vote early until 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. You can find the hours for your nearest early voting location at ncvoter.org. 

If you MUST vote by mail… 

• Check out this video from the NC Voter Protection Alliance with instructions on how to return your ballot. 
• Make sure you seal BOTH envelopes provided in your ballot package– the inner envelope that contains your completed ballot, and the outer envelope that contains the inner envelope. 
• Return your ballot TODAY. Your county board of elections must receive an absentee ballot by Nov. 3 in order to be counted. There is no grace period for mailing delays.  

North Carolina, let’s keep up the momentum– vote early, share resources to your story, and text your friends and family and ask if they’ve made a plan to vote. 

Take inspiration from the students at NC A&T who have already organized multiple marches to the polls this year. Republicans tried to silence them by eliminating their early voting site, but they came together to march the extra 35 minutes to the polls anyway.  

“I decided to march because it’s more than just about polls and who we are voting for. It’s affecting our education and our future,” said one student. 

“If our voices didn’t matter, then they wouldn’t be trying to take it away.” 

That’s exactly right– our voices matter more than ever, and Trump and his allies are about to learn that our collective power can never be taken away. 

Key Resources 

• Have questions? Call the NC Voter Protection Hotline: 888-OUR-VOTE (888-687-8683) 
• Track the status of your ballot at BallotTrax: northcarolina.ballottrax.net/voter/
• Make a plan to vote early: ncvoter.org