Early voting in North Carolina starts Thursday, opening 370 sites statewide through Oct. 31. Voters can cast a ballot at any early voting location in the county where they are registered, and eligible voters can still register during the early voting period.
Election Day comes Nov. 3, but the registration deadline has already passed for voting by mail or on Election Day itself. On Election Day in North Carolina, polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Wake County early voting sites
Wake County voters will have 18 early voting locations to choose from. Among them are Abbott's Creek Community Center in north Raleigh, Chavis Community Center in southeast Raleigh, Apex Community Center and Avery Street Recreation Center in Garner.
Those county sites matter because early voting rules are local even when the statewide window is the same. The dates are fixed from Oct. 15 through Oct. 31, but the exact days and hours vary by county, and many but not all counties ended Sunday voting this year.
Accepted IDs and registration
North Carolinians voting early should bring an acceptable photo ID. Accepted IDs include a North Carolina driver's license, a U.S. passport and certain state-issued or approved student IDs.
Most IDs must be unexpired or expired for one year or less. For people registering or updating information during early voting, proof of current address is also required, which makes the early-voting window the last practical chance for some voters who missed the earlier deadline.
That option closes once Election Day arrives. On Nov. 3, same-day registration is not available for most voters, so anyone who still needs to register has to do it during early in-person voting and at the county site where they choose to vote.
