Register & Vote

    REGISTER

    Timely registration is a precondition to voting.

    Click HERE to find out your registration status in NC.

    Find the voter registration deadline and the ways to register to vote on this page. For voter qualifications, visit Who Can Register. To learn about changing your existing voter registration, please see Updating Registration.

    Voter Registration Deadline

    • The deadline to register to vote in North Carolina is 25 days before Election Day.*
    • If you missed the voter registration deadline, you may still be able to register and vote or make changes (except for party affiliation) to your voter registration and vote during the early voting period.

    *The deadline differs for military and overseas citizens.

    Ways to Register to Vote

    If you’re eligible to register to vote, North Carolina offers three primary ways to register:

    1. Online or in person at the DMV:
    2. By mail:
    3. In person at the County Board of Elections:
      • Find your local board of elections:

    County Board of Elections Search

    Same Day Registration

    Individuals may register and vote in person at any early voting site in their county. Same-day registrants must attest to their eligibility and provide proof of where they live. A voter attests to their eligibility by completing and signing the North Carolina voter registration application (available in English or Spanish).

    Registering at an early voting site during the early voting period requires voters to provide proof of residence. Proof of residence includes any of the following documents that includes the voter’s current address:

    • North Carolina driver’s license.
    • Other photo identification issued by a government agency, provided that the card includes the voter’s current name and address.
    • A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document showing the voter’s name and address.
    • Documents Issued by Colleges and Universities:  Students may also provide proof of residence by presenting any document from a college or university that contains the student’s current name and residential address. Acceptable documents may be issued by either public or private educational institutions and include an invoice, transcript, correspondence, or a print-out or screenshot from any college or university source displaying the student’s name and residential address (e.g., online student portals for registration, tuition, or housing). Such documents are acceptable whether the student’s address is an on-campus or off-campus residence.  Alternatively, the college or university may voluntarily provide elections officials with a list of students and their residential addresses. Any such lists must be current at the time of use and must display the residence address for each student to ensure the student is properly registered at the appropriate address.
      • If a student presents a document from a private college or university as proof of residence, they must also present a photo ID from that institution which has been approved as an eligible photo ID for voting.
      • Students attending public educational institutions may present any acceptable photo ID. 

    Within two business days of the person’s registration, the county board of elections will verify the registrant’s driver’s license or Social Security number, update the voter registration database, search for possible duplicate registrations, and begin to verify the registrant’s address by mail. The registrant’s ballot will be counted unless the county board of elections determines that he or she is not qualified to vote in accordance with North Carolina law.

    All voters who use same-day registration also will be asked to show an acceptable form of photo identification when they check in to vote. This may be the same identification used to complete same-day registration, if the voter used an approved form of photo ID, such as a driver’s license. However, if the document used for same-day registration is not a photo ID approved for voting, the voter will be asked to show an approved form of photo ID. Most voters will simply show their driver’s license, but many other types of photo ID will be accepted, including many student IDs. For more information and for the list of acceptable IDs, see Voter ID.

    VOTE

    Election-Day Voting

    The traditional method of voting a ballot on the designated election day in person continues to be one of the ways in which voters cast ballots. 


    Absentee by Mail

    Any voter registered in Beaufort County can request an absentee ballot from the Beaufort County Board of Elections prior to the second Tuesday before the election.   An application and ballots will be mailed to the voter after the receipt of the written request.  Click here for more information.


    Early Voting

    Any voter registered in Beaufort County may choose to vote early which begins the third Thursday before the election and ends the Saturday prior to the election. Dates, times, and locations vary by election and will be posted prior to each election on this site and in the newspaper.

    Voting Equipment

    Beaufort County uses voting equipment with optical scan technology that allows for paper ballots to be marked and read with a device that records marks and leaves a full paper trail of marked ballots.  For more information, see Voting Equipment Used in Beaufort County.