Brennan Center: Students Guide to Voting in North Carolina

Many college students don't vote because of questions about residency. To cut through the confusion, the legal experts at the Brennan Center For Justice have created a Legal Guide to Student Voting that "explains the basic residency, registration, identification, and absentee voting requirements for student voters in each of the 50 states and the D.C. Individual state guides can be downloaded here.

The full North Carolina guide to student voting is here.

Student Voting in North Carolina, an overview:

ID Requirements
Generally, North Carolina voters do not need to show ID at the polls. However, voters who register and vote during the early voting period will have to show proof of their residence address. First-time voters who registered by mail who have not had their identifying numbers verified by the state have to show ID when they register or vote.

Residency Requirements
North Carolina law clearly states that students who intend to make their school address their home during school, and do not presently intend to return to their former homes, can register and vote as residents of their school addresses.
Registering to vote in North Carolina may be considered an abandonment of voting residency in your old state.

Registration Requirements
The regular registration deadline is 25 days before Election Day, but North Carolina also has same-day registration during One-Stop Absentee voting (early voting), from nineteen days before the election to three days before the election.

Absentee Requirements
Anyone registered in North Carolina can vote absentee by mail, but the procedure is somewhat complicated: first, your request for a ballot must be handwritten, and second, your ballot must be witnessed by two adults.

For a complete write-up on this state's regulations, please visit: www.brennancenter.org/studentvoting/states/north_carolina/


The Brennan Center answers some other frequently asked questions:

Residency and domicile, what do they mean, exactly?
Learn what it really means to have residency and what that entails...

The Truth About Financial Aid
Students are often warned that voter registration might affect their financial aid. This is untrue for the vast majority of students. Learn more...

Tuition
Registering to vote more than likely won't hurt your wallet. Read more about in-state and out-of-state tuition as it relates to voting...

Taxes, your parents and you
Registering to vote cannot affect your parent's ability to claim you as a dependent. But it could hit you in the pocket, learn why....

Insuring your health and car
Registering to vote will have almost no affect on your insurance, car or health. Read more...

Driver's Licenses and Car Registration
Registering to vote may entail a trip to the DMV afterwards. See why...