ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — North Carolina state election officials report receiving more than 618,000 requests for absentee by mail ballots to date. Starting Friday, county election boards are sending out absentee ballots, prioritizing military and overseas voters.
North Carolina is the first state to start sending out absentee by mail ballots for the 2020 election. In the coming days, you'll be able to track your ballot online.
“We want you to vote in whatever way makes it comfortable for you," said Damon Circosta, North Carolina State Board of Elections Chair. “No matter which way you choose to vote, it will be secure, accessible, and safe.”
On Thursday, state election leaders said in a normal election cycle, about four percent of voters cast absentee by mail ballots. This year, they’re expecting 30 to 40 percent of voters to vote by mail.
“This is unprecedented, the number of absentee by mail requests that we’ve received," said Karen Brinson Bell, Executive Director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
North Carolina voters can now apply for an absentee ballot online. In the next few days, the state will roll out "BallotTrax," a new ballot tracking system for voters.
“To see when we’ve received that [absentee] request, see when we’ve sent that out to the voter, track that in the mail-stream including when they return it in the postal service to their county board of elections," Brinson Bell said.
BallotTrax will be available on the state board of elections website.
North Carolina voter Jo Meade said she plans to vote during the early voting period, between October 15 and October 31. She said it seems the safest.
“There’s no crowds, usually, there’s not as many people in there, you can go in and get out quickly," Meade said.
North Carolina election workers will run about 2,700 polling places on Election Day -- November 3rd -- starting at 6:30 in the morning.
State leaders said some poll workers are still needed, especially in rural counties. You can check with your county board of elections if you’re interested.