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Registration

Introduction

You must be properly registered to vote in Polk County. 

Young people may register any time after their 18th birthday, or in fact at any time if their 18th birthday will come before the next election.  Those moving to Polk County from elsewhere must re-register in order to vote here, which most do at the time they get their drivers licenses.  

Others eligible to register may do so at any time, by filling out a simple form and getting it to BOE.

Registration Form

Follow these instructions for viewing the current NC voter registration form:

  * Click here to get to the registration form page at the NC SBOE site

  * Select the tan box if you want the form in English, or the pink one for Spanish.

  * Click on the "Form" link in whichever box you choose, which will download an Adobe (pdf) file of the form.

  * Inspect the form and its instructions, or print it out to refer to at your leisure.

Who Can Register

.You are eligible to register to vote in Polk County if you are all of the following:

  * An American citizen; persons committing felonies have their voting rights suspended pending completion of their sentence, and restored afterward.

  * A resident of Polk County for at least 30 days

  * At least 18 years of age by the time of the next election.

Deadlines for Registration

If you are registering using the form, the BOE must receive it at least 25 days prior to the next election; for the 2010 general election, that is Friday, October 8, by the close of business at 5:00 pm. 

However, recent changes in the law have allowed for instant registration and voting at the same time during the Early Voting period (see here), which extends all the way to the last Saturday before the election. 

How to Register

Most people register at the time their eligibility begins: for young people after their 18th birthday and for adults moving to Polk County at the time they get their drivers licenses.  But you can register at any time, and the Polk County Democratic Party is the easiest way to do it.  We have the forms and will get them to you and make sure they get to the BOE on time. 

By far the easiest way to register is just to Vote Early.  Go to the BOE or one of the satellite locations during the early voting window and register on the spot and vote at the same time. 

What You'll Need to Register

Basically you need an ID of some sort, most usually a valid drivers license or photo ID issued by the State of North Carolina.  For those who have neither, copies of a current utility bill or bank statement or some other document issued by a third party of standing may be used to establish residence.  :

Verifying Registration.  

Once registered, there should be no reason for that registration to lapse, and your name should always be on the rolls that election workers use on election day to qualify voters.  But mistakes happen, so it's a good idea to check your registration before an election, which, happily, is very easy.

The quickest way (although not by much) is to just call the BOE (828-894-8181) and ask them.  But you can do it yourself, by clicking here, checking the "show me my voter information" button, and then just entering your first and last name and then clicking "submit."  If you happen to have a common name you will have to choose from a long list, but your address will get you to the right you.  You can verify your registration information, including the all-important "eligible to vote".

Easiest of all is for you to do what polkdemocrats.com prefers you do anyway: vote early.  When you vote early you can register if you need to and then vote at the same time, which you can't do if you vote by mail or on election day itself.