Absentee Voting

ANY voter can Vote By Mail 

ALL absentee voters must return an Absentee Ballot Request Form in order to receive a ballot.

Step 1: Request an Absentee Ballot Application

• Call the Yancey County Board of Elections and request an absentee ballot request form be mailed to you by mail, email or fax: 828-682-3950

OR

• Voters may pick one up at the Yancey County Board of Elections Office. Please call ahead: 828-682-3950

OR

• Voters may print one from:  NCAbsenteeBallotRequestForm.pdf

Step 2: Return the Absentee Ballot Request Form to the Yancey County Board of Elections Office

• Request forms maybe mailed to or dropped off inside at the Yancey Board of Elections. A family member may drop off your request form on your behalf.

• The request form must be received by the county board of elections by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27, 2020.

• You will not receive a confirmation mailing from your County Board of Elections if your application is accepted. You will only hear back if your application needs to be corrected or was rejected.  

• A family member may drop off your request and/or your ballot

Step 3: Receive the Absentee Ballot

• Each county board of elections will mail absentee ballots to registered voters who have made a request. The board will send the following 3 items to the mailing address you provide on the request form (the items cannot be picked up in person):

  • An Absentee Ballot

  • A return envelope with a certificate statement on it

  • An instruction sheet.

Step 4: Mark Ballot, Fill out Certificate on the Envelope:

• Mark the ballot with your choices in the presence of one witness who is at least 18 years old and not a candidate in the election in which you are voting. The witness should not violate your privacy while you vote (unless you need assistance due to a disability); the voter and witness (or notary public) must each complete and sign the certificate on the return envelope and provide their addresses. Make sure all parts of the certificate form on the envelope are filled out, including your signature, insert the ballot in the envelope, and seal it.

• Only the voter may vote their ballot.

  • A voter may receive assistance marking their ballot, but the assistant may only mark the ballot in the presence of and at the direction of the voter.

• Who may not serve as a witness?

  • A candidate may not serve as a witness unless the candidate is the voter’s near relative.

  • Employees of a facility may not serve as a witness for voters in a facility. See the instructions included with the absentee ballot for a complete list of individuals prohibited from serving as witnesses for voters in a facility.

• You do NOT need to include a copy of a photo ID with your absentee ballot.  

Voters are currently not required to provide a photo ID with their absentee ballot. As of now, both state and federal courts have blocked North Carolina’s voter photo ID requirement from taking effect.

Step 5: Return the Ballot in the provided Envelope:

• Return the ballot in the container-return envelope by mail or deliver in person to your COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS. If returning by mail, the envelope must be postmarked by 5 PM on Election Day. If you are returning the ballot in person, take the ballot to your County Board of Elections office or an open Early Voting site during the Early Voting period. Only the voter or the voter’s near relative or legal guardian may return your ballot— do not give it to someone else to return. 

• What if I wait until Election Day to submit my ballot?

  • If you wait until Election Day to mail the envelope, go inside the post office and get it hand-postmarked by the clerk. Mail dropped in a blue box or put in your mailbox often does not receive a postmark.

• What if I need assistance mailing my ballot?  

  • A voter who, due to a disability, needs assistance placing their ballot in the closest mailbox may receive assistance by anyone not disqualified from assisting the voter.

You can drop things off using this dropbox inside the entryway of the Yancey Country Board of Elections Office. If you have questions, call the Yancey County Board of Elections at 828-682-3950.