MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — The new year means new laws are in effect here in North Carolina. With the state's primary election just over two months away, voters will need to familiarize themselves with some election law changes.
Most of the changes voters will see in this upcoming election will be due to Senate Bill 747.
One major change is that anyone with access to ballots or records who shares how someone votes could be charged with a class 1 misdemeanor.
Also, according to the bill, anyone who impersonates a judge of an election, or another precinct, could be charged with a misdemeanor. Another big change will revolve around absentee ballots.
"If you vote absentee, you must have that in my office by 7:30 on election night," Michael Dickerson, the Mecklenburg County elections director, said. "It has to be either received through the mail or brought in the office. After that, I won't be able to take it."
Over 1 million people in North Carolina voted absentee by mail in 2020, according to the State Board of Elections.
In addition to that, all voters must show their ID. Same-day registration is still a possibility, but you must complete an application, show your ID and provide proof of residency for the county to verify. Dickerson says even with the changes, everything at the polls should run smoothly as long as voters plan ahead.
“The biggest thing is to make sure you’re registered to vote 25 days before the election," he explained. "That takes care of all that stuff. We handle your registration, we get you registered, we let you go and vote and you vote in the normal course of action."
Election officials are urging voters and poll workers to stay up to date as even more changes unravel before elections take place, including the March 5 primary.
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