Phone Usage at Polls

General Overview

North Carolina law prohibits taking photographs of or videotaping voted ballots under N.C.G.S. § 163-166.3. Voters are allowed to have phones or electronic devices with them while voting as long as those devices are not used to photograph or videotape a ballot or communicate with anyone via voice, text, email, or any other method.

Photographing a marked ballot is illegal in part because such photographs could be used as proof of a vote for a candidate in a vote-buying scheme. Electronic communication while voting is prohibited because of limits on voter assistance and to prevent disruptions in the voting enclosure.

Voters may bring voting guides, notes, and other materials into the voting booth. They also may use electronic devices to access a slate card or candidate information, provided they don’t use the devices to communicate with anyone.