Absentee Voting By Mail
Orange County offers absentee voting by mail to all
Orange County registered voters who wish to vote
by mail rather than at a one-stop early voting site or on Election Day.
- General Information
- Who may apply
- Information voter should provide in request
- Illness or disability
- Availability of Ballots
- Deadline to Request Ballots
- Deadline to Return Ballots
- Check the status of your absentee ballot
UNIFORMED AND OVERSEAS CITIZENS: for rules regarding voting, please go to: www.fvap.gov.
Interested in Voting Early in Orange County? Please click here.
Reference Documents
- NCGS 163-230.1 - Simultaneous issuance of absentee ballots with application
- NCGS 163.230.2 - Method of requesting absentee ballots
Further Information
If you have any questions about absentee voting, please contact Debbie Cheshire by email or call 919-245-2353.
General Information
You may request ballots by mail, by email or by fax. You may also complete a request in person at the Board of Elections office. All requests must have a signature.
Mail: Orange County Board of Elections
P.O. Box 220, Hillsborough, NC 27278
In person: 208 S. Cameron St, Hillsborough NC 27278
Email: dcheshire@orangecountync.gov - you must be able to attach a signature
to your emailed request.
Fax: 919-644-3318
Requests may be submitted anytime during the calendar year of an election.
Voter must submit a separate request for each election. Please see information on illness or disability for exception.
Who may apply
- Any registered Orange County voter. A near relative may request on the voter's behalf.
- 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.
- A Power-of-Attorney does not qualify as someone who may request ballots on a voter's behalf.
Information that should be provided in request:
- Voter’s name as registered and date of birth;
- Voter's Orange County address and address where the ballot is to be mailed - if different from the Orange County address.
- Voter’s email address and/or telephone number (within the states).
- Voter's party preference if voter is registered as Unaffiliated and requesting a party primary ballot. If no preference is stated, voter will receive a Non-partisan ballot.
- Voter's (or near-relative's) signature.
- If the request is being submitted by a near-relative on the voter's behalf, the near-relative must state his/her name, address and relationship to the voter.
- A notary is not required in the State of North Carolina.
Illness or disability
While listing an excuse is no longer required for voting absentee by mail, if a voter is requesting a ballot due to a long term sickness or physical disability, and states this in their request, the request will be honored for the entire calendar year (when there are other elections within that year).
Availability of ballots
- Ballots will be available by mail 50 days prior to a Primary Election , 60 days prior to a General November Election (even years), and 30 days prior to a Municipal Election (odd years).
- When the time for mailing ballots begins, ballots are usually mailed out within two days of requests being received.
Deadline to request ballots
One week (7 days) prior to each election.
PLEASE NOTE: 5PM IS THE LATEST THAT REQUESTS CAN BE ACCEPTED. Postmarks do not qualify.
Deadline to return ballots
5:00 p.m. the day before the Election.
Completed ballots must be returned to the Board of Elections office signed, sealed and witnessed. An extension is given for ballots postmarked by Election Day and received in the Elections office by the Friday following the Election.

