Questions and Answers About Your “Voter History” in North Carolina

RALEIGH, NC – The NC State Board of Elections and county boards of elections are responding to requests from Election Day voters about why their “voter historical past” data will not be but up to date to mirror the truth that they voted on Election Day – November 8, 2022. We imagine that is the direct results of sure teams spreading false and deceptive details about this course of in an try to sow mistrust in our elections.

After each election, county boards of elections undergo a labor-intensive technique of recording in a public database who voted within the election and what technique of voting they selected (e.g., absentee, early voting, Election Day). That is the method of assigning “Voter Historical past” to voters’ data. Typically, county boards are changing paper data from when voters checked in at their polling place into digital database data. This course of takes many days to finish, at a time when county boards are finishing up varied different post-election duties which can be required for election outcomes to be licensed.

“When you inserted your paper poll right into a tabulator on Election Day, your vote was counted and reported as a part of the unofficial outcomes on election night time,” stated Karen Brinson Bell, govt director of the State Board of Elections. “Sadly, some teams are spreading misinformation about post-election processes and inspiring voters to contact election officers. When election officers spend time and assets responding to false details about elections, it takes time and assets away from finishing required post-election duties, together with assigning voter historical past to voters’ data. We encourage all voters to hunt details about elections from trusted sources, particularly state and county elections officers. The processes we have now in place adjust to state and federal legal guidelines and have been in place for a few years.”

To counter the unfold of deceptive info, the State Board gives the next Q&A concerning the voter historical past course of. Please additionally see Easy methods to Know Your Voted Counted in NC for extra info on methods to know your vote counted, whatever the voting technique you used.

Q: What’s voter historical past? 

A: A voter’s “voter historical past” paperwork the voter’s participation in a given election. It has nothing to do with which candidates or decisions the voter chosen on their poll, as that’s confidential beneath legislation. Voter historical past merely exhibits when a voter voted, which county they voted in, and what technique they used to vote (e.g., absentee versus Election Day in individual). In major elections, voter historical past additionally exhibits which occasion’s major the voter participated in.

Q: How can I discover my voter historical past?

A: You’ll find your voter historical past by the State Board of Elections’ Voter Search instrument. Enter your first and final names as they would seem in your voter registration and click on “Search.” From the ensuing listing, click on in your title, which shows in blue sort. Scroll all the way down to the “Your Voter Historical past” part.

Q: How do I do know if the vote I forged on Election Day was counted?

A: When you voted in individual, you inserted your poll immediately right into a tabulator at your voting place. Once you did this, the variety of ballots forged on that machine elevated by one. Your picks had been recorded on a reminiscence card within the tabulator, which had been examined for accuracy earlier than the election. On the finish of Election Day, the outcomes saved on the reminiscence card had been added to outcomes from different voting websites in your county, and people whole outcomes are displayed on the State Board’s Election Outcomes Dashboard. Your vote was counted.

Q: Does when my voter historical past file will get up to date have an effect on whether or not my vote was counted?

A: No. Once you inserted your poll within the tabulator on Election Day, your picks had been counted and in the end reported on election night time as a part of the unofficial outcomes. Your voter historical past file is up to date after the election by an administrative course of. This voter historical past course of has no impact on the outcomes of the election.

Q: If I vote on Election Day, how precisely does a county board of elections assign voter historical past to my file? 

A: Once you current to vote at your Election Day polling place, you signal an Authorization to Vote (ATV) type earlier than you obtain your poll. After the election, the county board of elections makes use of this ATV type to assign voter historical past to your voter file within the state elections administration system. It is a handbook knowledge entry course of. As soon as voter historical past is full, the State Board posts voter historical past info on its public web site. And when a voter searches their registration file on the State Board’s web site, the system shows their voter historical past. 

That is additionally why assigning voter historical past to Election Day voters isn’t a right away course of. 

Q: Why can it take a pair weeks or extra after an election for county boards of elections to assign voter historical past to Election Day votes?

A: After each election, in a 10-day window, county board staffs should full many post-election duties, together with researching provisional ballots, processing and counting absentee ballots of eligible voters that arrive after Election Day, conducting statutorily required audits and any obligatory recounts, contemplating any election protests, and certifying outcomes. Assigning voter historical past to your file is one other certainly one of these post-election processes. It’s a handbook course of that takes time, particularly in counties with many citizens, restricted employees, recounts to conduct, or election protests to contemplate.

Please be assured that your county board of elections will full this course of as promptly as attainable. Your poll standing will present up within the “Voter Historical past” part of your voter registration file as quickly as your county board completes this course of. 

Q: The place can I discover correct details about elections?

A: The State Board of Elections’ web site, ncsbe.gov, and your county board of elections are the very best sources for correct details about election processes in North Carolina. 

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