Absentee and One-Stop Voting

Voters do not need to provide a reason in order to vote absentee, whether voting absentee in person via One-Stop voting or voting absentee by mail.

One-Stop Absentee Voting

To vote One-Stop absentee, the voter appears in person at a prescribed location, completes an application, and then casts his/her ballot. The time frame for one-stop voting is the third Thursday before an election through the Saturday before the election. Curbside voting is available throughout the entire One-Stop voting period. Please refer to the “Voting” section of this website for more curbside voting information.

One-Stop early voting for the 2020 General Election begins Thursday, October 15 and ends on Saturday, October 31.

2020 General Election One-Stop Schedule

The One-Stop schedule for the November 3, 2020 General Election will be posted here once available and finalized.

Same Day Registration

If a Brunswick County resident misses the voter registration deadline and have been a resident of the county for 30 days prior to the election, they may go to any One-Stop early voting site to register and vote the same day.  The individual will be required to provide acceptable proof of residence before they can become registered.  The Notice to Same Day Registrants provides more details, including a list of acceptable proof of residence documents.  Same day registration is only available during One-Stop early voting; it is not available on election day.

Postal Absentee Voting (By Mail)

Postal absentee ballots must be requested using the State Absentee Request Form. Either the voter or the voter’s near relative or qualified legal guardian may request an absentee ballot. A “near relative” is defined as the voter’s spouse, brother, sister, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, stepparent, or stepchild or legal guardian.

• When completing the State Absentee Ballot Request Form the following information is required:
  • The name and address of the residence of the voter
  • The name and address of the voter’s near relative or verifiable legal guardian if that individual is making the request
  • The address of the voter to which the application and absentee ballots are to be mailed if different from the residence address of the voter
  • One of the following types of identification numbers for the voter:
    • North Carolina driver’s license
    • North Carolina special identification card for non-operators
    • last four digits of social security number
  • The voter’s date of birth.
  • The signature of the voter or of the voter’s near relative or verifiable legal guardian, if that individual is making the request
  • A clear indicator of the date the election generating the request is to be held
  • ​​​​​​​If a voter who is seeking a ballot for a partisan primary is registered as unaffiliated, the political party in whose primary the voter wishes to participate must be identified. This information enables the board of elections to determine which type of ballot to send to the voter.

• Completed request forms may only be delivered to the county board of elections by one of the following:
  • the voter
  • the voter’s near relative or verifiable legal guardian
  • a member of a multipartisan assistance team (MAT)
  • U.S. Postal Service or designated delivery service authorized pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 7502(f).
  • Forms returned by any other person will not be processed.
  • Forms cannot be faxed or emailed.
• A signed and completed State Absentee Ballot Request Form must be received by the county board of elections office no later than 5:00 PM on the Tuesday prior to the date of the election for which the ballot is being requested.
• Requests that are received after the absentee request deadline will not be deemed timely, regardless of any postmark date.

Address:  Brunswick County Board of Elections, PO Box 2, Bolivia, NC, 28422

Voted absentee ballots are due at the Board of Elections office at 5:00 pm on Election Day if hand delivered.  Mailed absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received in the office three days after the election.

A new absentee ballot request must be submitted for each election.  The law allows annual absentee ballot requests only if there is a sickness or physical disability.

• State Absentee Ballot Request Form

Uniformed and Overseas Voters

There are certain processes and opportunities available to uniformed (military) and U.S. citizens residing overseas (whether temporarily or indefinitely) which facilitate their ability to more quickly request, receive, and return absentee ballots. If you, or someone you know, would qualify as a uniformed or overseas voter and you would like to vote, it is to your advantage to look into these opportunities.

• UOCAVA Election Notice

Please visit either of the following websites:

1. The Overseas Vote Foundation
2. The Federal Voting Assistance Program
   1. FVAP North Carolina Guide

Please call the Brunswick County Board of Elections at (910) 253-2620 with any questions.