Overview

Eligible individuals who reside in a county but are not yet registered to vote there may register during the in-person early voting period. After registering, the newly registered voter can immediately vote at that same site. This process is called “same-day registration.”

When you check in to vote at an early voting site, you may also update your name or address within the same county if necessary. Keep reading to learn more about same-day registration and how it works.

Same-Day Registration

• To register using same-day registration, an individual must meet all eligibility requirements.
  • For voter qualifications, visit Who Can Register.
• Voters registering during the early voting period must have resided in the county where they are registering for at least 30 days prior to Election Day.
  • Find details about early voting at Vote Early in Person.
• Unsure if you are registered to vote?
  • Find out your voter registration status with the Voter Search.

How It Works

Individuals may register and vote in person at any early voting site in their county. Same-day registrants must attest to their eligibility and provide proof of where they live. A voter attests to their eligibility by completing and signing the North Carolina voter registration application (available in English or Spanish).

Registering at an early voting site during the early voting period requires voters to provide proof of residence. Proof of residence includes any of the following documents that includes the voter’s current address:

• North Carolina driver’s license.
• Other photo identification issued by a government agency, provided that the card includes the voter’s current name and address.
• A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document showing the voter’s name and address.
• Documents Issued by Colleges and Universities:  Students may also provide proof of residence by presenting any document from a college or university that contains the student’s current name and residential address. Acceptable documents may be issued by either public or private educational institutions and include an invoice, transcript, correspondence, or a print-out or screenshot from any college or university source displaying the student’s name and residential address (e.g., online student portals for registration, tuition, or housing). Such documents are acceptable whether the student’s address is an on-campus or off-campus residence.  Alternatively, the college or university may voluntarily provide elections officials with a list of students and their residential addresses. Any such lists must be current at the time of use and must display the residence address for each student to ensure the student is properly registered at the appropriate address.
  • If a student presents a document from a private college or university as proof of residence, they must also present a photo ID from that institution which has been approved as an eligible photo ID for voting.
  • Students attending public educational institutions may present any acceptable photo ID. 

Within two business days of the person’s registration, the county board of elections will verify the registrant’s driver’s license or Social Security number, update the voter registration database, search for possible duplicate registrations, and begin to verify the registrant’s address by mail. The registrant’s ballot will be counted unless the county board of elections determines that he or she is not qualified to vote in accordance with North Carolina law.

All voters who use same-day registration also will be asked to show an acceptable form of photo identification when they check in to vote. This may be the same identification used to complete same-day registration, if the voter used an approved form of photo ID, such as a driver’s license. However, if the document used for same-day registration is not a photo ID approved for voting, the voter will be asked to show an approved form of photo ID. Most voters will simply show their driver’s license, but many other types of photo ID will be accepted, including many student IDs. For more information and for the list of acceptable IDs, see Voter ID.