Registering to Vote

Should I Register to Vote Using My Permanent Address or Campus Address?

You can only vote in one place and will need to decide whether you will choose to vote using your permanent address or your university address, and vote in elections at that location.

Each student’s situation is different. If you’re from out-of-state, please talk with your parents/guardians and learn about any potential limitations or requirements in your home state and North Carolina by using the Campus Vote Project State Student Guides before deciding to register using your university address. This guide can also provide you with voting deadlines specific to your state.

    How Do I Register to Vote?

    All Elon students are strongly encouraged to use TurboVote. Most students vote by absentee ballot and enter their permanent home address in TurboVote.

    What is TurboVote?

    TurboVote helps students vote in every election — local, state, and national — by allowing them to register where they want to vote and by keeping them engaged with the elections in their local communities. In short, this tool:

    • Helps students register to vote, either online or by paper
    • Helps students vote by sending election reminders via text and/or via email – that way they can stay in touch with local elections even from away
    • Helps students vote by mail via absentee ballot request forms

    This tool makes voting easy through a simultaneous online voter registration and ballot request process that takes minutes to complete. Since Elon students come from across the country, this tool helps students manage voter registration deadlines and provides election reminders for all 50 states.

    How Do I Obtain My Voter Registration Form Using TurboVote?

    This tool guides students through the registration process. TurboVote automatically populates the student’s voter registration form and emails the student a digital copy.

    Students should print a copy of the voter registration form and:

    1. Fill in their ID number, as required by state law. Based on the state, directions will be provided for this. Most often, this ID number is either a driver’s license number. Students without a driver’s license, can often provide the last four digits of their social security number.
    2. Sign the form.
    3. Mail in the form prior to the voter registration deadline for their state. TurboVote will provide the address for the appropriate board of elections. The Kernodle Center for Civic Life in Moseley 232 provides free stamps and envelopes.

    In states that have an online voter registration option, TurboVote guides the student to that option if the student chooses and provides information on how to complete that process successfully.

    North Carolina Voter ID Requirement: In-Person Voting

    Beginning in 2023, voters must show an acceptable photo ID when they check in at their voting site during early voting or on Election Day. Election workers check to see if the picture on the ID reasonably resembles the voter. The address on the photo ID does not have to match the voter registration records. If the voter does not show an acceptable ID, the voter may proceed in one of the two following ways:

          1. Vote with an ID Exception Form and a provisional ballot, or
          2. Vote with a provisional ballot and return to the Alamance County Board of Elections office with their photo ID by the day before county canvass. (For municipal elections in September and October, this deadline is the Monday following Election Day. For all other elections, the deadline is the second Thursday following Election Day.)

    Acceptable Photo IDs for Voting in North Carolina

    The North Carolina State Board of Elections recognizes any of the following forms of identification that are unexpired, or expired for one year or less:

          • Elon Phoenix Voter Card (not a standard Elon Phoenix Card, available in the Phoenix Card office)
          • North Carolina driver’s license
          • U.S. Passport or U.S. Passport card
          • State ID from the NCDMV (also called “non-operator ID”)
          • Driver’s license or non-driver ID from another state, District of Columbia or U.S. territory (only if voter registered in North Carolina within 90 days of the election)
    Students who plan to vote in North Carolina who do not have a North Carolina issued driver license or any of the forms of ID above can obtain a special Elon Phoenix Voter Card. This card, provided at no cost by Elon University, has been approved by the North Carolina State Board of Elections. Pick up an Elon Phoenix Voter Card from the Phoenix Card office in Oaks McCoy Commons (Room 201) Monday-Friday between 8:30am-11:30am and 2:00pm-4:30pm. Once you obtain this card it will serve as your Phoenix Card and full time student ID.

    North Carolina Voter ID Requirement: Absentee-By-Mail Voting

    Voters who vote by mail must include a photocopy of an acceptable ID inside the “photo ID envelope” that comes with their ballot. The Elon Phoenix Voter Card is considered an acceptable ID. Or they may complete an ID Exception Form with the absentee ballot return envelope.

    What If I Want To Vote Here in Alamance County?

    A person can only vote where he or she is registered.

    If you do choose to vote in Alamance County, you must use both a physical street address AND a campus box for your address. For students living on-campus, your physical street address can be found under Select a Residence Hall address on the TurboVote page or by clicking here.

    Can I Use TurboVote to Request Both My Voter Registration Form and Absentee Ballot Form at the Same Time?

    Yes, you can send in both forms at the same time using the steps outlined on this page.

    Why Does TurboVote Ask Where Do I Receive My Mail?

    On this page, you can enter your Elon campus box or off-campus apartment address to have all voting related forms and ballots sent to your university address (even if you choose to vote absentee using your permanent address).

    Whom Should I Contact For Help With TurboVote?

    For assistance with TurboVote, contact help@turbovote.org

     

    Voting Using an Absentee Ballot

    How Do I Use TurboVote to Obtain My Absentee Ballot?

    TurboVote will ask how you want to cast your ballot – either by mail or at the polls. If you select by mail, TurboVote will direct you to your state’s absentee ballot form.

    Students are strongly advised to print a copy of the voter registration form and:

          1. Fill in their ID number, as required by state law. Based on the state, directions will be provided for this. Most often, this ID number is either a driver’s license number. Students without a driver’s license, can often provide the last four digits of their social security number.
          2. Sign the form.
          3. Mail in the form prior to the absentee ballot deadline for their state. TurboVote will provide the address for the appropriate board of elections. The Kernodle Center for Civic Life in Moseley 232 provides free stamps, envelopes, and copying.

    North Carolina Voter ID Requirement: Absentee-By-Mail Voting

    Voters who vote by mail must include a photocopy of an acceptable ID inside the “photo ID envelope” that comes with their ballot. The Elon Phoenix Voter Card is considered an acceptable ID. Or they may complete an ID Exception Form with the absentee ballot return envelope.

    Can I Use TurboVote to Request Both My Voter Registration Form and Absentee Ballot Form at the Same Time?

    Yes, you can send in both forms at the same time using the steps outlined on this page.

    My State Requires My Absentee Ballot to Be Signed By a Notary. Where Can I Find a Notary on Campus?

    Please contact one of these Elon staff members in advance before you visit:
    Lisa Alcon – Global Commons 304
    Mel Brown – Alamance Building 213
    Joan Dawson – Johnston Hall, South Campus
    Alyssa Donohue – School of Communications (Schar Hall 108)
    Valerie Drummond – Alamance Building 107
    Lorie Gaines – KLC/Belk Library 226 (by appointment)
    Shannon Kimball – Koury Business Center 100B
    Jessica Hill – Lindner Hall 104E
    Tammy Hill – Ellington Center for Health and Wellness 118A
    Melissa McBane – Lindner Hall 200H
    Justine Nienow – Alamance Building 102
    Andrea Priede – Alamance Building 107
    Angie Reid – Francis Center 100B
    Patty Rooney – McMichael Science Building 122
    Patrick Schwartz – Purchasing 104
    Mary Welker – Alamance Building 102