Any registered voter in Brunswick County may vote by absentee ballot. There are three steps to voting by absentee ballot:
- Request your ballot
- Vote your ballot
- Return your ballot
1. Request Your Ballot
Requests for the 2023 municipal election must be received by the Board of Elections no later than 5 pm on Tuesday, October 31.
Request a Ballot Online
Registered voters can request their absentee ballot online through the NC Absentee Ballot Portal.
Print an Absentee Request Form
Registered voters can use the NC Absentee Request Form to request a ballot. The form cannot be returned electronically; it must be submitted by mail or in person to the Board of Elections. If the form is returned in person, the person delivering the form is required to complete a return log.
2. Vote Your Ballot
Voters who vote by mail must include a photocopy of an acceptable ID OR an ID Exception Form inside the photo ID sleeve that is on the back of their ballot envelope. To learn more about voter ID, please click here.
Mark your ballot by filling in the rectangle next to the candidate(s) of your choice using a blue or black pen. Vote your ballot in the presence of two witnesses OR a notary public. The witnesses or notary should observe you mark the ballot, not see how you vote.
Seal your ballot in the return envelope that came with your ballot packet.
- The voter must sign the ballot envelope under “Voter, sign here:”
- The witnesses or notary must sign the ballot envelope. Each witness will sign their name, print their name, and provide their full address.
- If you received assistance with your ballot, the assistant must sign their name, print their name, and provide their full address on the ballot envelope.
3. Return Your Ballot
Return your ballot by mail
Postage for your return ballot package is $1.59. Please apply the correct postage for return. For the municipal election, your ballot must be postmarked by Election Day, November 7, 2023, and received no later than 5 pm three days after Election Day. *For the 2023 municipal election, three days after Election Day is Friday, November 10, a state and federal holiday. This moves the deadline to 5 pm Monday, November 13.*
The United States Postal Service recommends that you mail your ballot at least one week before the election. If you mail your ballot close to Election Day, it is recommended that you go inside the post office and ask that a postmark be placed on the envelope. If a ballot is received after Election Day and it does not contain a postmark, it is not eligible to be counted.
Return Your Ballot in person
You can return your ballot to our office no later than 5 pm on Election Day, November 7. You can also return your ballot to a one-stop early voting site. You may not return your ballot to a polling place on Election Day. If your ballot is returned in person, the person delivering the ballot is required to complete a return log.
Who can return a ballot?
According to state law, the ballot can only be returned by:
- The voter or the voter’s near relative or legal guardian. A near relative is your: Spouse, brother, sister, parent, child, stepchild, grandparent, grandchild, stepparent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, or son-in-law.
- A Multipartisan Assistance Team, upon request of a voter who needs assistance due to a disability. The assistant must complete the Voter Assistant Certification section of the envelope.
- A person who assisted upon request of the voter, due to the voter’s disability. The assistant must complete the Voter Assistant Certification section of the envelope.
Accessible Absentee Voting
If you are a blind or visually impaired voter in North Carolina, you can request, mark, and return an accessible absentee ballot online through a system that is compatible with screen readers and that allows for a digital or typed signature. Learn more at Accessible Absentee Voting.
Multipartisan Assistance Team
If you live at a facility such as a hospital, clinic, or nursing home, find details about receiving assistance with mail-in voting and other services provided by a multipartisan assistance team (MAT) at Assistance for Voters in Care Facilities.
Multipartisan Assistance Team Flyer
Can someone request an absentee ballot for me?
Yes. Your near relative or legal guardian may request a ballot for you. A near relative is: your spouse, brother, sister, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, stepparent, or stepchild. Any person may request an absentee ballot for a voter who needs assistance due to a disability, according to the voter’s instruction. The assistant must complete either Section 8 or 9.
