Whitaker Library: Government Information: Voting in North Carolina

Why vote?

Voting is an important right for American citizens. The people we elect to our local, state, and national governments make both policy and budget decisions that impact your lifestyle.

Here are some examples of ways government officials influence our lives:

Schools and libraireis
Parks and playgrounds
Road construction and maintenance
Trash and recycling
Water and air quality
Law enforcement and courts

How do I register to vote?

Vote.org
This easy to use website will help you discover if you are registered to vote, how to register to vote, and how to get a mail in ballot.
North Carolina Online Voter Registration Application
Make sure to register at least 25 days before the election. If you do not register 25 days before the election, you can do in-person same-day registration during the early voting period.

How do I get a mail-in ballot?

North Carolina Absentee Ballot Request Portal
Request an absentee ballot in the state of North Carolina.
Track your mail-in ballot in North Carolina
The state of North Carolina allows you to track your mail-in ballot "from printed to accepted."

Look up your ballot

NC Lookup Sample Ballot
If you live in NC use this link to look up a sample ballot for where you are registered to vote. If you are not from NC you can look up sample ballots on your state's Board of Elections website.
Sample Ballot Lookup with Ballotpedia
You can use Ballotpedia's tool to look up the ballot where you are registered to vote, and then use Ballotpedia to research the candidates.

Research the candidates/ measures that will be on the ballots

Vote Smart
Vote Smart is an unbiased website that has information about different politicians.
OpenSecrets.org
Follow the money. This website is run by the Center for Responsive Politics that tracks money used by campaigns, and lobbyists.
FactCheck.org
A nonprofit fact-checking project that is run by the Annenberg Public Policy Center.
Ballotpedia
Information about different political candidates
PolitiFact
A Pulitzer prize winning fact-checking project that is run by Poynter Institute for Media Studies.
Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
This is a great website for finding information about current events, policies and public opinion.