It’s Later Than You Think: Make a Plan To Cast Your Vote

Election Day 2020 day is 82 days — roughly two and a half months — away, but now is the time to make a plan to cast your vote.

If you plan to use absentee mail-in voting, you should be aware of the new rules that govern this process. Factor in the time it will take to request your absentee ballot (North Carolina voters must ask for the ballot; it will not be sent to each voter automatically), get the ballot in the mail, and return your ballot.

Those who choose to vote in early one-stop voting, between Oct. 15 and Oct. 31, or go to the polls on Election Day, Nov. 3, should make sure they have the most current information about their registration status and how and where to vote.

In a webinar presented to NCAJ members this week, N.C. Board of Elections Chair Damon Circosta and BOE General Counsel Katelyn Love explained the new voting laws and regulations, including the Bipartisan Elections Act of 2020; outlined procedures for absentee voting and early voting; and gave updates on law suits that have been filed against the BOE. NCAJ members interested in a deeper understanding of the voting process can watch a video recording of the webinar and view the accompanying Power Point Presentation on the NCAJ Member Programming page of our website.

All North Carolina voters should check out the state Board of Elections’ website, which provides a helpful, comprehensive roundup of frequently asked questions about the voting process. Get information about voting by mail, register to vote, check your voter registration status and more. If you’re interested in filling a crucial need as a poll worker volunteer either during early voting or on Election Day 2020, fill out the BOE’s election worker interest survey or contact your local board of election.

For information about North Carolina’s judicial appellate elections, visit VoteYourCourtNC.org, the NCAJ’s advocacy and awareness campaign for Election 2020. In addition to promoting NCAJ’s endorsements, the site aims to educate voters about the importance of judicial elections. The website is designed for easy sharing via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and e-mail. From any section of the website, you can share the content simply by clicking on the sharing icon under Share This. Visit the site or read more about the campaign here. You can also explore the members only toolkit for promoting the site to family, friends, contacts and clients, found on the NCAJ main website.