Voter Registration
Am I registered? Is my information correct? Where can I see my sample ballot?
Use the State BOE's voter lookup utility to check your voter registration information, your voter history, and see your sample ballot (when available).
If you are not registered to vote in your county of residence...
you have a few options to be able to vote in this election:
DEADLINE: Registration books close 25 days before an election
OPTION 1: If you have a NC Drivers License, Permit or DMV issued ID, you may register online
Online Registration Application - NCDMV [more information]
NC Department of Motor Vehicles has partnered with the NC State Board of Elections to offer free online voter registration for its customers. By logging into your NCDMV account, you may register to vote or change your address and party affiliation. This must be done 25 days or more before an election; applications submitted after 5pm on that cut-off day will not be processed until after the current election.
If you do not have an account with the NC Department of Motor Vehicles, you may not register online.
OPTION 2: Mail or hand-deliver a completed voter registration form to the Elections Office
NC Law requires new voters to submit an original signed registration application to their county's Board of Elections Office.
IMPORTANT: You must include your NCDL number and/or last 4 digits of your Social Security number on the form. If they do not validate, your registration application may be rejected.
Where do I get a printed registration form?
Printable Registration Application
Download this form to register to vote in Catawba County and to change your name, address, or party affiliation.
If you wish to pick up a form, or you don't have a printer, registration forms are available at all libraries and in the BOE office. You may also register in-person or online when you obtain or renew your NC Drivers License, permit, or DMV non-operators ID.
Mail form to: Catawba BOE, PO Box 132, Newton, NC 28658
Hand deliver to: 145 Government Drive, Newton (building below the parking deck near the Justice Center)
OPTION 3: Register and Vote at an Early Voting location
If you failed to register on or before "close of books" (25 days before an election), you are not eligible to vote on Election Day or an Absentee Ballot by mail. However, you may register and vote at the same time at an Early Voting site. You will be required to show proof of residency.
Proof or Residency - a current and valid photo ID with your current address (driver's license, permit, passport, etc.); or a copy of one of the following documents that shows your name and address: a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to provide my NCDL# and SS#?
At least one of the two numbers is needed process your registration application. If the number provided is "Invalid" or "Denied" as reported by NC DMV or Social Security Administration, your registration may be denied. If an applicant does not have an NC Drivers License (permit, or DMV issued ID) or a Social Security number, proof of residence will be required.
Proof or Residence - a current and valid photo ID (driver's license, permit, passport, etc.); or a recent copy of one of the following documents that shows the name and address of the voter: a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document.
Who should use the voter registration form?
- Voters wishing to change their information (such as name, address, mailing address, party affiliation)
- New Voters
- 16- and 17-year-olds wishing to pre-register
Deadline to register is 25 days before an election. If received after that deadline, the registration will be processed once the election has been finalized.
Updating Registration Information - if you are already registered
1. Update at the Polls when you vote Election Day or at Early Voting
If you are a currently registered voter within the county, you may update the following information at the polls: name, physical address*, mailing address, phone number.
During Early Voting, you may make a change to your name, physical address (to one within the county), mailing address, or phone number
If, on Election Day, the updated address places you in a different precinct, law requires you to go to that precinct in order to cast your ballot in the tabulator. If you do not go to the correct precinct and insist on voting "out of precinct," you will be required to vote a provisional ballot (your ballot is sealed in an envelope and, if your information change is valid and the provisional ballot is approved by the Board, your votes will be added to the vote count at Canvass--10 days after the election). Your assigned precinct is based on where you resided 30 days before the election.
*Note: If you have moved less than 30 days before the election, vote using your old address and send an updated voter registration to the Election Office after the current election is over.
NC Law does not allow you to change your party affiliation at the polls.
2. Send a Voter Registration/Update Form to the Elections Office
You may update your name, address, mailing address, phone number, party affiliation, etc. by sending
Registration forms are accepted in person or by mail at the Board of Elections office up until Registration Books close (25 days before an election). After that deadline, no changes may be made to voter's records by the Board of Elections office until after the election is over.
For name and address changes, you may mail, fax, email, or deliver in person to the BOE office.
New registrations require sending in an original, signed Voter Registration Form to the BOE office before the close of books (25 days before the election)--this cannot be a fax or email.
Other Frequently Asked Questions
To register to vote in North Carolina, a person must meet the following qualifications:
- Must be a U.S. citizen.
- Must be a resident of the county, and prior to voting in an election, must have resided at his or her residential address for at least 30 days prior to the date of the election.
- Must be at least 18 years old or will be 18 by the date of the next general election. 16- and 17-year-olds may pre-register by submitting a completed registration form. (Note: A 17-year-old may vote in a Primary if they will be 18 on or before the General election.)
- Must rescind any previous registration in another county or state.
- Must meet criteria if Registering as a Person in the Criminal Justice System (follow the link for current criteria)
The Registration Books close 25 days before an election. If the registration form is not received (or postmarked) by the deadline, you may not vote on election day. No party changes can be made after books close.
However, you may still register and vote at Early Voting.
If you fail to register by 25 days before the election (when the books close), you may still register and vote at an early voting location. As a new registrant, you will be required to show proof of residency when you register and vote. If your photo ID does not have your current residenitial address, you will be required to also show proof of residence displaying your name and your current address.
Note: if you are previously registered in the county, you may NOT change your party affiliation after books close.
No, only the voter may sign his or her voter registration application. You are not permitted to sign the form for your spouse, child, or parent—not even if you have power of attorney for the person.
Voter signatures are clipped and become part of the voter's permanent record. If the voter cannot sign their name, the law does allow the voter to "make a mark" as an acceptable signature.
Yes. If you are registered as “Unaffiliated” you may choose one ballot from any of the available political parties to vote during a partisan primary. Your party affiliation has no bearing on General or Municipal elections, only during Partisan Primaries (and their runoffs) does your registered party affiliation come into play.
Note: If there is a Primary runoff, you may only vote the same party’s ballot you chose in the first election. If you did not vote in the first primary, you may choose from the available parties during the runoff.
Visit the State Board of Elections website for more information on Choosing Your Party Affiliation.
Your legal voting residence is your place of permanent domicile.
NCGS § 163-57(1) - That place shall be considered the residence of a person in which that person's habitation is fixed, and to which, whenever that person is absent, that person has the intention of returning.
You cannot use your work address (unless you live there).
College students may register and vote in the county where they are attending college (in most situations, the college student could also opt to register or remain registered at the address where they lived previous to moving away for college, and could choose to vote absentee). If a student registers at his or her school address, that registration cancels any previous registration in another county.
NCGS§ 163-57(11) So long as a student intends to make the student's home in the community where the student is physically present for the purpose of attending school while the student is attending school and has no intent to return to the student's former home after graduation, the student may claim the college community as the student's domicile. The student need not also intend to stay in the college community beyond graduation in order to establish domicile there.
Citizens who are homeless may register and vote.
In the event that a person's residence is not a traditional residence associated with real property, then the location of the usual sleeping area for that person shall be controlling as to the residency of that person. Residence shall be broadly construed to provide all persons with the opportunity to register and to vote, including stating a mailing address different from residence address. Voter registration forms provide a space for an applicant to visually map where they usually sleep.
You may continue to vote in your usual North Carolina county if you only temporarily relocate.
A person shall not be considered to have lost that person's residence if that person leaves home and goes into another state, county, municipality, precinct, ward, or other election district of North Carolina, for temporary purposes only, with the intention of returning.
16 and 17 year-olds may pre-register to vote. They will automatically become full registered voters as soon as they turn 18. The same NC voter registration form is used for pre-registration.
17 year-olds will be eligible to vote during Primary elections if they will turn 18 on or before the General election. If pre-registered, they will become active voters before the Primary election.
NC Law on voter residency: NCGS § 163-57
Military and Overseas Citizens: Read more information about registering on the State Board of Elections website.