Press Releases

Through early Saturday afternoon, more than 3 million North Carolina voters had cast ballots in the 2016 General Election, either through in-person early voting or by mailing in absentee ballots. That’s 44 percent of the state’s registered voters.

On Election Day, Tuesday (November 8), the State Board of Elections will host media availability sessions outside the BOE office, 441 N. Harrington St., Raleigh, NC 27603. The sessions will be held at 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Please keep an eye on your emails for any updates to this schedule. Also, please visit our Twitter feed, @NCSBE, and our Facebook page for important updates on Tuesday. We also remind media representatives of guidelines for filming at polling locations:

Onslow County resident Robert John Dougherty III said in a sworn statement to the N.C. State Board of Elections on Monday (10/31) that he has never committed voter fraud in North Carolina or any other state. He told Board of Elections investigators that a recent social media post he made in which he claimed to have voted for other people was meant to be a “joke” shared between family and friends and was not true. He expressed regret that his post has gone viral, stating that he wished to apologize to the State Board of Elections for causing extra work for elections staff.

The N.C. State Board of Elections is aware that some voters have contacted advocacy groups or elections officials with concerns about touch-screen voting machines in several counties. Similar reports have been made in recent elections, and we take them very seriously. We want to ensure voters that safeguards are in place to ensure touch-screen machines accurately record voters’ selections.

The polls are open in North Carolina. Today marks the first of 17 days of one-stop absentee voting. Commonly known as early voting, this period allows any registered voter to cast an absentee ballot in person before Election Day. Early voting ends on Saturday, Nov. 5.

The State Board of Elections is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all voters. Security at polling places is primarily the responsibility of county elections officials in coordination with local law enforcement. Aware of heightened security concerns this election season, the State Board of Elections office has taken steps to ensure the safety of voters, observers and poll workers during the voting process.

Within the past hour, Wake County Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens ordered that the regular voter registration deadline be extended until close of business on Wednesday (October 19) in 36 counties receiving assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the wake of Hurricane Matthew.

The State Board of Elections office has been in regular contact with county election officials to assess flooding and other issues resulting from Hurricane Matthew. All county boards are actively working on preparations for early voting next week. Despite any challenges related to the storm, they are ready to accept and process voter registrations in advance of the deadline.

The State Board of Elections will hold a public meeting by teleconference on Thursday, October 13, 2016, at 3:30 p.m. 

County boards of elections offices across North Carolina have scheduled more than 42,400 total hours of early voting for the 2016 general election, a 16 percent increase over 2012. Also, the 444 early voting locations statewide represent a 21 percent increase over 2012.