CHARLOTTE — The general election is officially here. Voters in North Carolina will have their say not only in the Presidential election but also in key races including Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Congress.

There are dozens of candidates in the running to represent you in these races. Early voting in North Carolina runs from Oct. 17 - Nov. 2. South Carolina voters can vote early from Oct. 21 - Nov. 2. Election Day is Nov. 5.

The Channel 9 Candidate Guide was composed by the Political Beat team. We asked key questions to all candidates in North Carolina’s statewide and Congressional races. There are no statewide races in South Carolina on the ballot.

See the candidates’ responses in each race below.

Congressional Races:

Court of Appeals races:

Statewide Races:

This guide will be updated with more responses from candidates when available.

What to know

To find a polling place near you, click this link for North Carolina locations, and click here for South Carolina.

Be sure to bring an approved photo ID when you vote. For more information and for the list of acceptable IDs, see Voter ID.

If you are impacted by Hurricane Helene

While voting may not be top of mind for the thousands of North Carolinians impacted by Helene, North Carolina lawmakers and election officials have taken action to make sure casting a ballot is as convenient as possible in this time of uncertainty. North Carolina election officials and lawmakers have made changes to help people in 25 counties impacted by Helene. The 25 counties are Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey.

What if I need to register?

According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, individuals may register and vote in person at any early voting site in their county. Same-day registrants must attest to their eligibility and provide proof of where they live. A voter attests to their eligibility by completing and signing the North Carolina voter registration application (available in English or Spanish). Registering at an early voting site during the early voting period requires voters to provide proof of residence. Proof of residence includes any of the following documents that includes the voter’s current address:

• North Carolina driver’s license.
• Other photo identification issued by a government agency, provided that the card includes the voter’s current name and address.
• A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document showing the voter’s name and address.
• For students living on campus, a document from an educational institution with the student’s name and on-campus housing address. Or, an educational institution may provide the county board of elections a list of students residing in particular campus housing, which will suffice if a student living in campus housing shows a valid student photo identification card.

Within two business days of the person’s registration, the county board of elections will verify the registrant’s driver’s license or Social Security number, update the voter registration database, search for possible duplicate registrations, and begin to verify the registrant’s address by mail. The registrant’s ballot will be counted unless the county board of elections determines that he or she is not qualified to vote in accordance with North Carolina law.

All voters who use same-day registration also will be asked to show an acceptable form of photo identification when they check in to vote. This may be the same identification used to complete same-day registration, if the voter used an approved form of photo ID, such as a driver’s license. However, if the document used for same-day registration is not a photo ID approved for voting, the voter will be asked to show an approved form of photo ID. Most voters will simply show their driver’s license, but many other types of photo ID will be accepted, including many student IDs.

What if I lost my ID?

A driver’s license is not the only acceptable form of ID card you can use at the polls. Other acceptable forms of ID include a US passport, a military or veterans photo ID issued by the government and numerous student and government employee IDs. For a full list, click here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Voter%20ID/2024-General-Acceptable-Voter-Photo-IDs.pdf

If you lost your ID because you were a victim of a natural disaster, you may fill out an ID Exception Form and cast a provisional ballot. County boards of elections must count provisional ballots with properly completed ID Exception Forms.

For other permitted exceptions, click here: https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id#exceptions

Where can I vote?

Despite the destruction of Helene, NCSBE says 76 of 80 early voting locations will be open and available to voters. During the early voting period, you may vote at any early voting location in your county. To find an early voting location, click here: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/evsite/

If you plan to vote on Election Day, verify your precinct before going to the polls. NCSBE expects Election Day precincts to be finalized by October 18. You view your Election Day precinct, click here: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/pplkup/

What is the new law?

If you live in one of the 25 impacted counties and prefer to vote by mail, you may drop your mail ballot off at any early voting location or election office in the state. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot has been extended to November 4, for people living in the impacted counties. Election officials now have more flexibility to move voters to new precincts. The state has also allocated $5 million to NCBSE to help facilitate the election.

(VIDEO: CMS leaders push for change to state voting law amid security concerns)

CMS leaders push for change to state voting law amid security concerns

©2024 Cox Media Group