Early Voting Starts this Week in Cary
Cary, NC — The early voting period in North Carolina starts this Thursday, October 15 and will remain open until Saturday, October 31.
Cary’s Early Voting Sites & Hours
Wake County voters have their pick of 20 early voting sites, 2 of which are located in Cary.
Herbert C. Young Community Center – 101 Wilkinson Avenue
Cary Senior Center – 120 Maury O’Dell Place
Cary residents who live within the limits of Chatham County must visit one of the six Chatham sites to vote. One-stop early voting will be open at these times:
Photo ID is not required to vote in the 2020 general election.
COVID-19 Protocols in Place
The Town of Cary said in a release today that all voting locations will take significant precautions to protect voters and election officials against the transmission of COVID-19.
These precautions will include enforcement of social distancing, providing hand sanitizer and providing masks for people who don’t bring their own. As for the election workers, expect to see them using gloves and face shields.
Additional COVID-19 considerations from the NC State Board of Elections include:
- Barriers in place between voters and election workers at check-in tables
- Single-use pens in counties that use hand-marked paper ballots
- Q-tips for voters who use ballot-marking devices
- Frequent sanitation of equipment and other high-contact surfaces
- Recruitment of polling place workers who are less vulnerable to the virus
The State Board has a dedicated webpage, NCSBE.gov/Coronavirus, where voters can find up-to-date information about elections during the pandemic.
Register & Vote Same Day
For those who have missed the regular deadline for voter registration on October 9, 2020, there’s still a way forward. The last chance to get it done is with same-day registration during the early voting time frame.
At any in-county early voting site, voters can get registered and immediately vote at that same site. Though, keep in mind, this method requires proof of residence and eligibility to vote. This will require:
- Completing and signing a North Carolina Voter Registration Application
- Showing any of the following documents with their current name and address:
- North Carolina driver’s license or other photo identification issued by a government agency.
- Any government-issued photo ID is acceptable, as long as it includes current name and address.
- A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document showing the voter’s name and address.
- A current college/university photo identification card paired with proof of campus habitation.
Not sure if you are registered to vote? Use the Voter Search Tool.
Absentee Ballot Drop-Off & Curbside Voting
Voters who have received an absentee ballot by mail have the choice of delivering their ballot instead of mailing it during early voting. To do so, voters will bring their ballots at any time the early voting sites are open and will hand it over to an election official.
According to the State Board, ballots will be kept securely and delivered to the county board of elections for processing. Curbside voting will also be available for eligible individuals at all early voting sites. For more information, see the state’s Curbside Voting page.
Story and absentee return photo by Ashley Kairis. Other images courtesy of the NC State Board of Elections.
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I voted by mail. Thanks to NC BallotTrax, I know my vote was accepted by the BoE. No crowds, easy , convenient, safe, reliable.
Although you can drop off an absentee ballot at early voting, you still stand in line as if you were voting. No drop boxes. You cannot drop off an absentee ballot on Election Day.
But if you aren’t voting by mail, vote early!
Never received our requested absentee ballots. Not good. Voted in person yesterday at Herb Young Community Center. The lady at the first table asked if I had requested an absentee ballot. Told her yes my husband and I both did, but we never received them. Her reply: oh, that’s not good.