Plenty of college students express concerns about voting during this general election, especially when so many students participate in remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections has offered guidance for students who are planning to vote.
Registration And One-Stop Voting
College students can register and vote in the county where they go to college if they are physically present in the college community and have no intention to return to their parents’ or guardians' home address.
If a student registers at their college address, that registration cancels any previous registration.
Registration at a one-stop site during the early voting period requires voters to provide proof of address. This includes a current college and or university photo identification card paired with:
- Any document from the college containing the student's name and on-campus housing address or facility name, or;
- A current roster prepared by the college and or university and transmitted to the county board of elections office lists all the students residing in campus housing facilities.
Absentee Voting
Students who are temporarily living away from the residence they are registered to vote but intend to return are not considered to have lost their place of residence. This address will remain their address for voting purposes.
A student who is registered to vote at a campus address but has not requested an absentee ballot can do so on the board's website via the North Carolina Absentee Ballot Request Form. The student may have their ballot sent to the address of their choosing.
Board officials said that students at colleges and universities should request their ballot to be sent to an address where they know they will receive it.
"We want to ensure all eligible voters have the information they need to successfully cast their ballot in this important election during these unique times," Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said in a statement.
More information about voting as a college student in North Carolina can be found here.
