Protecting Your Vote
Election officials across the state work together to achieve the same goal: To ensure the safety and security of all voters and the election process. Explore the content in this section to learn about the safeguards in place and how you can help secure North Carolina’s elections.
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Safeguards in Place
View a summary of each page in this section.
- 10 Facts About Election Security: Find the facts on North Carolina election security.
- 12 Reasons Absentee Voting is Secure: Learn about the many processes in place to ensure absentee voting is secure and conducted according to state law.
- Combating Misinformation: Find out how to report false claims, and see what we are doing to debunk common election misinformation.
- Cybersecurity: Learn about the efforts involved in maintaining a secure network to prevent cyberattack.
- Preparing for Accurate Elections: Find detailed information about pre-election testing of voting equipment to ensure accurate vote counts.
- Post-Election Procedures and Audits: Learn about county canvass, the audits that occur after every election, and review the audit reports for previous elections.
- Investigations Division: Learn about the process that the State Board undertakes when potential election law violations occur.
- Tips for Monitoring or Observing the Election at Polling Sites: View the guide for monitors, observers, and runners to ensure a safe and orderly voting site.
- Voter Intimidation: Find out what to do if you feel harassed or intimidated at a polling place.
- Phone Usage at the Polls: Learn about the acceptable usage of personal electronic devices while voting.
- Elections Reference Guide for North Carolina Law Enforcement: Find out how law enforcement ensures that voters have free access to voting.
- How We Ensure Only U.S. Citizens Register and Vote: Many laws and processes work together to ensure that only qualified U.S. citizens cast ballots in elections.
Maintaining Accurate Voter Rolls
An important safeguard of the integrity of North Carolina’s elections is a systematic program that ensures that only eligible and qualified voters are on the state’s voter rolls and that such voters are not erroneously removed from the rolls. The State Board of Elections is required to adopt a list maintenance program that is uniform and nondiscriminatory. View the PDF for more information.
How You Can Help Secure North Carolina’s Elections
Ways North Carolina voters can help secure our elections:
- Please register and vote if eligible. To make sure it’s up to date, check your voter registration on the Voter Search.
- Carefully review your selections on your ballot before casting it. Remember, once you put your ballot in the tabulator it cannot be retrieved, so it is important to make sure you have selected each desired ballot item.
- If you encounter any issues when voting, immediately report the issue to a precinct official at the polling place.
- Advocate for additional state or federal funding for cybersecurity improvements and new voting systems.
- Seek information about elections from trusted sources, such as the State Board and county boards of elections. Be mindful that information about elections that you find and share on social media may not be accurate.
- For regular updates on voting in North Carolina, follow the State Board on X and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook.
- Witness the process firsthand, serve your community — and get paid — by becoming a precinct official or election worker.