If you are registered to vote in Wake County, you may vote absentee by mail. Listing an excuse is no longer required for voting absentee. NCGS 163-230.2 states that a request for an absentee ballot by mail is valid only if a request letter is written entirely by the requester personally, by the requester's near relative and signed by the requester, or is on a form generated by the County Board of Elections and signed by the requester.
A near relative, as defined by law, is a spouse, brother, sister, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, stepparent, stepchild, or verifiable legal guardian. Power of attorney is not acceptable as a near relative.
A letter to request an absentee ballot should include the voter's name, date of birth, residence address, address to which the ballot should be mailed (if different than the residence address), daytime telephone number and the voter's signature.
Wake County voters may ask for a Board of Elections-generated form in person or by mail, fax, e-mail or telephone. Request forms may not be copied; they will be individually numbered and tracked.
The voter or the voter's near relative may send a written request letter or completed Board of Elections-generated request form to the Wake County Board of Elections office, PO BOX 695, Raleigh, NC 27602. Written requests or completed request forms must be received in the Wake County Board of Elections office no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, September 30. Ballots will be mailed within one to two days after receipt of the request. To be counted, the voted ballot must be received in the Board of Elections office by 5 p.m. on the day before the election.