Two very important elections are occurring this academic year that greatly affect students and the entire community. Those are the Nov. 7 Chapel Hill and Carrboro elections for Mayor and Town Council, and the March 5, 2024 presidential, state and local primary election.
Early voting for the Nov. 7 Chapel Hill and Carrboro elections starts at four Chapel Hill and Carrboro locations, beginning Thursday, Oct. 26 and ending Saturday, Nov. 4. Closest to campus, there is a voting site at Chapel of the Cross at 304 East Franklin St. next to Morehead Planetarium. Other sites include Chapel Hill Public Library at 100 Library Drive and Carrboro Town Hall Complex at 108 Bim St.
Hours at all sites are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays from Oct. 26 to Nov. 3 (except on Oct. 31, when sites close at 4 p.m.), from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 and from noon to 4 p.m on Sunday, Oct. 29. You can vote if you are already registered to vote in Orange County and still live in the county, including if you registered in 2023 or in 2022, or earlier for a prior year's election.
If you have moved within Orange County since registering, you can easily report your address change at early voting. While a photo ID is now required to vote, your plastic UNC One Card will satisfy the identity requirement.
If you live in Orange County and are not yet registered to vote, you can register to vote at early voting and vote on the spot. If you live in University housing, including Granville, the early voting sites have dorm rosters that meet the residency requirement. If you live off-campus, to register to vote at early voting, see here for information on evidence of the address you must present.
Acceptable documents include a driver's license with your current address. Also allowed is a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document showing the voter’s current name and address, and these can be shown on an electronic device if you do not have a hard copy. (None of these residency documents are required if you are already registered to vote in Orange County).
On election day of Nov. 7, all campus housing residents who are already registered to vote in Orange County and who did not early vote can vote at the Stone Center on campus from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
– Gerry Cohen, member of the Wake County Board of Elections and former Chapel Hill Town Council member
