Numbered memos are directives approved by the State Board of Elections and issued by the executive director. They provide binding guidance and updates about elections administration to the county boards of elections. 

The numbered memos on this page represent current guidance of the State Board to the county boards, as determined by State Board members in late 2025.

For past guidance, including outdated and rescinded numbered memos, see Outdated/Rescinded Numbered Memos.

2025

• 2025-03 Procedures When Identification Numbers Do Not Validate (Sept. 8, 2025, updated July 16, 2026)
• 2025-02 Provisional Voting for Registration Repair Voters (Aug. 27, 2025; updated Sept. 8, 2025)
• 2025-01 Changes to Voting for Military and Overseas Voters (July 21, 2025, updated July 16, 2026)

2024

• 2024-09 Hand-To-Eye Recount (Dec. 2, 2024)
• 2024-05 Criminal History Record Checks for Employees of County Boards of Elections (Aug. 30, 2024)
• 2024-03 Retention of Election Records (March 19, 2024)
• 2024-01 Use of Private Funds in Elections  (Jan. 22, 2024)

2023

• 2023-07 Early Voting Official Appointment (Dec. 19, 2023)
• 2023-06 Election Observers (Dec. 13, 2023; updated Oct. 8, 2025)
• 2023-05 Same-Day Registration (Dec. 8, 2023; updated Jan. 29, 2024; July 21, 2025)
• 2023-04 Provisional Ballots and Canvass Procedures (Oct. 12, 2023; updated Feb. 26, 2024)
• 2023-03 Photo ID (Sept. 14, 2023; updated Feb. 23, 2024; Oct. 11, 2024)
• 2023-02 Issuing Voter Photo ID Cards (Aug. 29, 2023; updated Aug. 28, 2024)

2022

• 2022-14 Public Viewing of Opening and Closing Procedures (Oct. 18, 2022)
• 2022-12 Maintaining Order at the Polls (Oct. 7, 2022; updated Feb. 14, 2024)
• 2022-11 Court Order Regarding Assistance for Absentee Voters with Disabilities (Aug. 29, 2022)
• 2022-10 Ballot Quantities in General Elections; Alerts for Casting Blank Ballots (Aug. 26, 2022)
• 2022-08 Authority for Remote Meetings (Aug. 17, 2022)
• 2022-05 County Board Challenges to Ineligible Absentee Ballots (May 12, 2022; updated Dec. 15, 2023)
• 2022-04 Voter Registration Deadline (April 26, 2022)
• 2022-02 Ballot Quantities in Even-Year Primaries (March 16, 2022)
• 2022-01 Protecting Certain Voter and Elections Security Information (March 15, 2022; updated April 25, 2022; updated July 16, 2026)

2021

• 2021-09 Corrections to Party Affiliation Based on Incomplete DMV Online Transactions (Dec. 8, 2021)
• 2021-07 Deficiencies in Notary Portion of Absentee Application and Certificate (Aug. 31, 2021)
• 2021-03 Absentee Container-Return Envelope Deficiencies (June 11, 2021; updated Sept. 25, 2023; Jan. 19, 2024)
• 2021-01 Procedures for Purchasing Voting Equipment (March 1, 2021; updated April 14, 2023; July 20, 2023)

2020

• 2020-32 Hand-to-Eye Recount (Dec. 4, 2020)
• 2020-29 Witness or Assistant Address Issues on the Absentee Container-Return Envelope (Oct. 4, 2020)
• 2020-25 Absentee Board Meetings (Sept. 22, 2020; updated Sept. 23, 2020; Sept. 18, 2023)
• 2020-23 In-Person Return of Absentee Ballots (Sept. 22, 2020; updated Sept. 29, 2023)
• 2020-20 Curbside Voting (Sept. 1, 2020)
• 2020-15 Absentee Requests Forms (July 28, 2020)
• 2020-08 One-Stop Closing Procedures and Voting Systems (Feb. 25, 2020)

2019

• 2019-07 Guidance Regarding What Constitutes a Vote (Nov. 1, 2019)

2018

• 2018-13 Incident Reporting Directive (Oct. 5, 2018)
• 2018-12 Security Preparations (Oct. 2, 2018)
• 2018-07 Court Order Affecting Voter Challenges (Aug. 8, 2018; updated Nov. 5, 2018; April 12, 2023)

2017

• No memos with current guidance

2016

• 2016-26 Election Protests (Nov. 18, 2016)
• 2016-25 Voter Signatures & Provisional Supplementation (Nov. 16, 2016)
• 2016-18 Processing in-county updates from DMV (Oct. 4, 2016)
• 2016-16 Voter Assistance (Sept. 26, 2016)

2015

• No memos with current guidance.

2014

• 2014-05 Handling Unreported Moves and Out of Precinct Voters (April 3, 2014)

2013

• No memos with current guidance.

2012

• 2012-12 Proper Procedures for In‐person Registrations and Absentee Voting (May 3, 2012)
• 2012-11 Instructions to Precinct Officials on use of Non‐Voting Systems Incident Report for Voter Assignment Issues (April 23, 2012)
• 2012-10 Non‐voting Systems Incident Reports (April 18, 2012)
• 2012-04 Statement of Economic Interest (SEI) Requirements (Feb. 17, 2012)

2011

• 2011-05 Procedures for Handling Redistricting Changes in SEIMS (Dec. 22, 2011)

Access downloadable PDFs from 1997 in the NCSBE public files folder: Numbered Memos.