What to Expect at Pamlico County Polling Locations
The Pamlico County Board of Elections is working hard to provide safe and secure voting during the 2020 Election season. Registered voters have choices about how they cast their ballot; the article below helps you to understand your options and choose what works best for you. (Please note, this is NOT an official message from the Board of Elections, but we did ask them to take a look at it to make sure it is accurate.)
Registered voters can choose one of three ways to cast their ballot: (1) by requesting and submitting an Absentee Ballot, (2) during One Stop Early Voting at the Board of Elections (BOE) office in the County Courthouse in Bayboro, and (3) on Election Day, November 3 at the Local Voting location for your Precinct. If you are not sure of your Local Voting location, you can check here. https://vt.ncsbe.gov/PPLkup/
What you can expect at the BOE office and at your Precinct
In Pamlico County, the Board of Elections decided to maintain the same number of precinct polling locations as in previous years, to help ensure that locations would not be overly crowded.
Social Distancing: Elections officials at all voting locations are required to:
- Provide physical guides, such as tape on floors or sidewalks and signs on walls to ensure that voters remain at least six feet apart in lines and at other times
Face Coverings: County boards of elections shall require that:
- Election workers wear face coverings when they are or may be within six feet of another person.
- Election workers encourage all voters to wear face coverings, including offering face coverings to voters who are not wearing them, unless the voter states that an exception applies.
Cleaning: Election workers at voting locations are required to:
- Perform ongoing and routine environmental cleaning and disinfection of high-touch areas, and increase disinfection during peak voting times.
Monitoring for symptoms: County boards of elections are required to:
- Ensure that election workers who have symptoms when they arrive at work or become sick during the day, are immediately separated from other workers and voters and sent home.
- Prior to opening the voting place each day: Conduct daily symptom screening of workers and immediately send symptomatic workers home to isolate.
Curbside voting is available for those who are unable to enter the voting place without physical assistance due to age or disability. Curbside voters must sign an affidavit affirming that they are unable to enter the voting place to cast their ballot. The term "disability" means you:
- Are unable to enter the polling place due to age or physical or mental disability, such as agoraphobia;
- Have a medical condition that puts you at increased risk of COVID-19;
- Should not wear a mask due to a medical or behavioral condition or disability; or
- Are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
Voting by Absentee Ballot
If you do not want to vote in person during One Stop Voting or on Election Day, you may submit an absentee ballot. The steps to vote by Absentee Ballot are:
- Request an Absentee Ballot as soon as possible, but no later than October 27 at 5 pm. To request a ballot you must submit a request form, which you can pick up at the Board of Elections office or by downloading it here. http://cpcrl.org/images/PDFs/NCAbsenteeBallotRequestForm.pdf
- Upon receiving your ballot, fill it out, have a witness sign it, and return it in the envelope provided as soon as possible. You may hand-deliver your voted ballot in the sealed envelope to the Board of Elections at the Pamlico County Courthouse or you can mail your ballot which must be postmarked no later than Election Day November 3.
- You can check the status of your ballot request and submission here. https://northcarolina.ballottrax.net/voter/
If you have any questions about voting, more information is available at the Pamlico Library web site http://cpcrl.org/voterinfo , or you may contact the Pamlico County Board of Elections at (252) 745-4821.