If you live in this state, the odds are strong you’ve received a bunch of political mailers this election cycle. Some letters from the Voter Participation Center, which is led by Democratic operative Tom Lopach, could create confusion.
First, some of their mailers have gone out to people who have already voted. To confirm whether your early vote was accepted, use the Voter Search database from the State Board of Elections.
In several mailers, the Voter Participation Center writes that the in-person early voting period runs “from October 15-31 at 3PM.” While it’s true the voting period ends on Saturday, October 31, at 3 p.m., the message could be read as saying early voting begins at 3 p.m. on each of those days.
In most counties, in-person early voting between Monday and Friday runs from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. (in some counties, such as Alleghany and Anson, weekday early voting lasts from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). On the final day early voting, sites across the state open at 8 a.m. and close at 3 p.m. As long as you are in line by 3 p.m., you can stay in line and vote.
Lopach said in a statement that his group and its partner organization, the Center for Voter Information, recently sent out more than 9.6 million mailers to eligible voters in North Carolina to encourage them to vote.
He noted that voters who have already cast a ballot should disregard their mailer and that his organization would work to improve the language in future communications.
“Our mission is to increase civic participation for underrepresented groups, especially those historically left out of the democratic process, including people of color, young people, and unmarried women,” Lopach said. “We take voter feedback seriously and will use it to improve our mail moving forward.”
A complete list of early voting sites and hours of operation is available here. Voters seeking to cast their ballot early and in person can do so at any early voting location in their county. And those who aren’t already registered can register and vote at any early voting site, as long as you lived in the county for at least 30 days prior to Election Day.
Democrats, Republicans, and nonpartisan voting groups are encouraging voters to cast their ballots during the early voting period so they don’t have to stress about it on Election Day.
Through Sunday, the total number of ballots cast across North Carolina was up 36% compared with the same point in 2022, State Board of Elections data show. Turnout among unaffiliated voters was strongest, with a nearly 60% increase in ballots cast from the same point in the most recent midterms. Democrats cast 44% more ballots in this election so far, while Republican participation rose by a mere 4%.
Correction: This story initially included the wrong title for Tom Lopach. He is the CEO of the Voter Participation Center.
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