Update: Absentee Ballots to Go Out to Military and Overseas Voters on Sept. 20, All Other Voters Who Requested Them on Sept. 24

Update: Thursday, Sept. 19

Absentee Ballots are now available online. Click here. 

Update: Friday, Sept. 13

From NCSBE- 

All 100 county boards of elections must send absentee ballots to eligible military and overseas citizens who requested them for the 2024 general election on Friday, September 20, under a new schedule released by the State Board of Elections.

The Board also set September 24 as the date to start sending absentee ballots to other voters who have requested ballots by mail, including those who use the Visually Impaired Portal (VIP) to request and return their ballots.

This schedule ensures that North Carolina will meet the federal law requirement to distribute ballots to voters under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) by the 45th day before the election – September 21.

County boards were prepared to send absentee ballots out on September 6, the deadline for absentee ballots to be sent under state law. However, rulings by the N.C. Court of Appeals and N.C. Supreme Court required election officials to remove the We The People party line from the presidential contest on the ballot, including the party’s presidential nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and vice-presidential nominee, Nicole Shanahan.

In North Carolina, any registered voter can vote an absentee ballot, after submitting a request for the ballot. Voters can request their absentee ballot at votebymail.ncsbe.gov. The deadline for absentee requests is October 29. However, election officials urge voters who wish to vote by mail to request their ballot soon, so it can be completed and returned to the voter’s county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. Election Day – November 5.

Update: Tuesday, Sept. 10

Today the N.C. Supreme Court denied the State Board's appeal of the Court of Appeal's order to reprint ballots. This means that new ballots must be prepared, removing the "We the People" party line and Robert F. Kennedy's name from the presidential contest. Ballots already printed with the party and candidate must be strictly separated and moved to storage. In Buncombe County, 5,300 ballots have been printed and must be re-printed.

Ballots cannot be mailed until the N.C. State Board of Elections provides approval for all 100 counties to do so. We will continue to update this story. 

Physical sample ballots are available at Election Services Office at 59 Woodfin Place. 

Update: Friday, Sept. 6

Earlier today, NC Court of Appeals ordered a further pause on ballot distribution related to a request from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to halt the mailing of ballots that included his name. No ballots will go out in the mail today. Buncombe County’s Election Services is waiting for further guidance from the State Board of Elections and will keep Buncombe voters updated. The process for voters remains the same. You may continue to request ballots, you do not need to submit your request again. 

Previous press release

On Friday, Sept. 6, Buncombe County Board of Elections will begin sending absentee-by-mail ballots to registered voters who requested a ballot for the 2024 general election. This marks the start of voting for North Carolina’s Nov. 5 general election. Voters who have already requested absentee-by-mail ballots should receive them in the coming days. In North Carolina, any eligible voter can request, receive, and vote an absentee ballot by mail. 

“Absentee-by-mail voting in the 2024 general election officially begins Friday in North Carolina,” says Election Services Director Corinne Duncan. “We encourage all eligible voters to make a plan for how, when, and where you will cast your ballot, and to make sure you have an acceptable form of photo ID for voting. If you need photo identification, you can get a photo ID for free from Election Services or your local DMV.” AS of today, almost 6000 voters have requested ballots in Buncombe County. The absentee ballot request deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 29. With the new deadline to return absentee ballots now on Election Day, voters are encouraged to request their ballot as early as possible to ensure there is time to receive it and then send it back to the board of elections so that it is received no later than 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Nov.  5.  There is no longer a grace period for returning ballots by mail- they must be received by the close of the polls on Election Day.

Sample Ballots

Sample ballots are now available for individual voters by locating their voter record in the State Board of Elections’ Voter Search tool or click the voter information button at buncombecounty.org/vote.

Witness/ID Requirements

Absentee-by-mail voters must have two individuals or a notary witness that the voter completed their ballot. The witnesses and the voter must sign the ballot return envelope, where indicated. By-mail voters also will be asked to place a photocopy of an acceptable photo ID in the sleeve on the back of their ballot envelope. The photocopy does not have to be a color copy, but election officials must be able to read it. Absentee voters who are unable to provide a copy of a photo ID should complete the Photo ID Exception Form that is included with their absentee ballot materials and place that form in the sleeve indicated for photo ID.

2024 General Election Dates and Deadlines

• Sept. 6: County boards of elections begin mailing absentee ballots to eligible voters who have submitted an absentee ballot request(see note above-currently paused)
• Sept. 17: National Voter Registration Day
• Oct. 11: Voter registration deadline (5 p.m.)*
• Oct. 17: In-person early voting begins; same-day voter registration available
• Oct. 29: Absentee ballot request deadline (5 p.m.)*
• Nov. 2: In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.)
• Nov. 5: Election Day (6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.)
• Nov. 5: Absentee ballot return deadline (7:30 p.m.)*
• Nov. 15: Canvass (11 a.m.)

*Voter registration and absentee voting deadlines are different for military and overseas citizen voters.