Early voting starts soon. Here’s what you need to know to vote in the Triangle
Early voting starts Thursday, Oct. 20 in North Carolina, giving people just over two weeks to cast their ballot before Election Day itself on Nov. 8.
It will end on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m. For many voters — including everyone living in the Triangle region — there will be multiple options to go vote on a weekend, if voting on a weekday is a hassle.
A few counties don’t allow people to show up on the weekends, but that isn’t the case anywhere in or around the Triangle. Early voting sites in Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham and Harnett counties will all be open every day from Oct. 20 to Nov. 5. Sites in several other nearby counties, including Johnston and Franklin, will be open on some weekend days during early voting but not all of them.
The hours also aren’t uniform from county to county. But typically, early voting sites are open for at least a few hours on the weekends, and on weekdays they tend to be open from 8 a.m. to at least 5 p.m., and often until 7:30 p.m.
What you need to know: The basics
To find a map of your county’s early voting polling places, and a list of the hours they’re open, go to vt.ncsbe.gov/ossite. Or, continue reading this article for a full list of sites in Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham and Johnston counties.
Some smaller counties only have one polling place open for early voting, but most have at least a few.
The biggest counties have a dozen or more sites, which give people flexibility they might not have on Election Day itself, when people should vote at their assigned precinct. People can find information like their Election Day precinct, and a sample ballot, at vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup.
How to vote without waiting in line?
There’s never a way to guarantee you won’t have to wait in line to vote. The lines during early voting tend to be shorter than on Election Day itself, but they can still vary wildly depending on when you go.
Early voting starts on a Thursday, and the first few days through the weekend are usually fairly busy. So is the final Saturday. Elections officials advise that if you’re in a hurry, show up on a weekday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
“To avoid longer lines, voters should keep in mind that the busiest early voting days typically are the first and last days of early voting,” the state elections board says in an online FAQ. “Voters may find shorter lines during regular business hours.”
Some counties also take advantage of technology to let voters see wait times at early voting sites in real time. Durham, for example, has a map on its county elections board website that shows not only where the early voting sites are, but how long a wait they have.
Registering to vote
Early voting also offers a final opportunity for people to register to vote, if they haven’t already.
The regular deadline to register was Oct. 14, but anyone who missed it can still show up to an early voting location in their county and register, then cast a ballot, that same day.
For proof, photo ID can make it easy but isn’t required. You must bring something official that shows both your name and your address — which could be your driver’s license, or something like a utility bill, a pay stub, a bank statement or a check from the government.
Voting by mail
For those who can’t or would simply rather not go vote in person, there’s also mail-in voting. It does not require any excuse to do in North Carolina, unlike in some other states, so anyone can do it.
Anyone who wants to vote by mail needs to request a ballot by Nov. 1. For more information on that process, refer to The News & Observer’s mail-in ballot guide or go to www.ncsbe.gov/voting.
Wake County sites
All of the following sites in Wake County are open during early voting from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
▪ Avery Street Recreation Center: 125 Avery St., Garner
▪ Cary Senior Center: 120 Maury Odell Pl., Cary
▪ Green Road Community Center: 4201 Green Road, Raleigh
▪ Herbert C. Young Community Center: 101 Wilkinson Ave., Cary
▪ Hilltop Needmore Town Park and Preserve: 4621 Shady Greens Dr., Fuquay-Varina
▪ John Chavis Memorial Park Community Center: 505 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Raleigh
▪ John M. Brown Community Center: 53 Hunter St., Apex
▪ Lake Lynn Community Center: 7921 Ray Road, Raleigh
▪ NCSU Talley Student Union: 2411 Dunn Ave., Raleigh
▪ Northern Regional Center: 350 E. Holding Ave., Wake Forest
▪ Optimist Park Community Center: 5900 Whittier Dr., Raleigh
▪ Southeast Raleigh YMCA: 1436 Rock Quarry Road, Raleigh
▪ Wake County Board of Elections Office: 1200 N. New Hope Road, Raleigh
▪ W.E. Hunt Recreation Center: 301 Stinson Ave., Holly Springs
▪ Wendell Community Center: 601 W. 3rd St., Wendell
Durham County sites
All of the following sites in Durham County are open during early voting from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
▪ Duke University - Karsh Alumni Center: 2080 Duke University Road, Durham
▪ Durham County Main Library: 300 N. Roxboro Street, Durham
▪ East Regional Library: 211 Lick Creek Lane, Durham, NC 27703
▪ Eno River Unitarian: 4907 Garrett Road, Durham
▪ NCCU Turner Law Building: 640 Nelson St., Durham, NC 27707
▪ North Regional Library: 221 Milton Road, Durham
▪ The River Church: 4900 Prospectus Dr., Durham
▪ South Regional Library: 4505 S. Alston Ave., Durham
Orange County sites
All of the following sites in Orange County are open during early voting from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
▪ Carrboro Town Hall Complex: 108 Bim St., Carrboro
▪ Chapel of the Cross: 304 E Franklin St., Chapel Hill
▪ Chapel Hill Library: 100 Library Dr., Chapel Hill
▪ Efland Ruritan Club: 3009 Forrest Ave., Efland
▪ Orange Works at Hillsborough Commons: 113 Mayo St., Hillsborough
▪ Seymour Senior Center: 2551 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill
Johnston County sites
All of the following sites in Johnston County are open during early voting from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. They will all be closed on Sundays.
▪ Archer Lodge Community Center: 14009 Buffalo Road, Clayton
▪ Benson American Legion Building: 605 N. Wall St., Benson
▪ Church at Clayton Crossing: 11407 US 70 Bus. Hwy W, Clayton
▪ Cleveland Community Church (C3): 8248 Cleveland Road, Clayton
▪ First Baptist Church Ministry Center: 125 S. Fourth St., Smithfield
▪ Selma Public Library: 301 N. Pollock St., Selma
▪ WeProject Hall: 106 N. Railroad St., Kenly
Chatham County sites
All of the following sites in Chatham County are open during early voting from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays.
▪ CCCC Health Science Building: 75 Ballentrae Ct., Pittsboro
▪ Chatham County Agriculture Conference Center: 1192 US-64 Bus., Pittsboro
▪ Goldston Town Hall: 40A Coral Ave., Goldston
▪ Paul Braxton Gym: 115 S. 3rd Ave., Siler City
▪ New Hope Baptist Church: 581 New Hope Church Road, Apex
