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Absentee ballots can be requested by any registered voter or the voter's near relative (Near relative includes spouse, sibling, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, step-parent, or step-child.) or verifiable legal guardian. (Power of Attorney is not the same as legal guardian. Power of Attorney does not give an individual the right to sign for another for an absentee ballot.)
Requests can be made only for the elections to be held in the calendar year that the request is made.
The written request for an absentee ballot may be sent by the methods noted below. In all cases please make sure to sign the request:
- By mail to: Board of Elections, Attn: Absentee Ballots, PO Box 868, Durham, NC, 27702
- By Fax to: Board of Elections (919) 560-0688.
- By email: The written request can sent as a scanned attachment to absentee@durhamcountync.gov (See below for email tips*) This attachment must contain your signature.
The request should be written entirely by the requester personally and include the:
- voter's name
- address in Durham County which should be the same address as your current voter registration
- address to mail ballot to
- date of birth
- signature
- It also is very helpful to include a phone number and/or and email address in case we need to contact you with any questions or problems concerning your request.
If the request is made by a near relative, it must include their name, address and relationship to the voter.
If the request is for the primary and you are registered as an independent/ unaffiliated, you may request a ballot for any party. If you do not request a specific party's ballot, you will be sent a ballot for unaffiliated voters that will not have any partisan races on it. If you are registered with a recognized party you do not have a choice of ballot.
A separate request must be made for both the primary and election unless the person making the request is in the Military or sickness or physical disability is expected to keep the voter unable to go the polls during the entire period (NCGS 163-226 (a2)). If this is the case, please state so in your request, and all ballots for elections that you are qualified to vote in for this calendar year will be sent to you. This request must be renewed each year.
Military and Overseas Voters: You are encouraged to use the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) to request your absentee ballot. If you are not registered to vote in Durham County it will also serve to accomplish that. Please fill it out as thoroughly as possible and mail/fax/scan and email to us at your earliest convenience. For military and overseas voters, that will insure you get ballots for all elections to be held this calendar year. Click here to visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program and to download a FPCA form and for more information.
If you have any questions, please contact the Board of Elections at the 919-560-0700, or email: absentee@durhamcountync.gov (See below for email tips*)
* Email tips: Durham county employs various levels of spam blockers. (More than 95% of the email sent to Durham County is spam.) Public email accounts such as gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc. will usually make it through, with perhaps some delay the first time they are sent. Accounts from other countries will almost certainly be blocked. (These are email addresses that end in .country abbreviation).
Receipt acknowledgements/replies will be sent within a few days. (Please allow time for holidays, weekends and email filter delays.) If you do not receive a reply, try sending your request by a different email account, fax or mail.
Note: For some voters, an alternative to requesting an absentee ballot by mail is the one-stop, no-excuse absentee voting in person during the times noted below. Please check the One-Stop page (Availible soon) on this site for the exact details on times and locations. |
