There are some things you can do when you go to vote – and some things you can’t do. Some are even against the law.

Know this before you go. The State Board of Elections surveyed county election boards across the state on common voter questions, concerns and misconceptions.

Here are 12 key things to know when you go to the polls.

Queues at voting sites. This is a presidential election and millions of North Carolinians will vote in 2024. There will be lines at times at early voting sites and at polling places on Election Day. Be prepared. Wear comfortable shoes, bring a chair if you have difficulty standing for long periods of time, bring water or snacks, and depending on the weather forecast, consider bringing an umbrella or portable fan. You can also check your county’s board of elections website to see if they have a system for tracking wait times for voting sites. Lines are typically longest at the beginning and end of the early voting period.

Identity photo. Many types of photo ID are accepted, including driver’s licenses and passports. Find a complete list at BringItNC.gov. If you are over 65 and your driver’s license has not expired on your 65th birthday, you can use it to vote. You do not have to bring your voter registration card, but you must bring acceptable identification. If you don’t have one, you can get one for free from your county elections office or fill out an exception form at your voting site explaining why you couldn’t show ID.

Secure auxiliary tray. Each ballot scanner, or tabulator, at polling locations has a secure auxiliary tray. If there is a problem with a tabulator – power outage, ballot jam, etc. – voters will temporarily place their ballots in the trash instead of inserting them into the tabulator. When the problem with the tabulator is resolved, a bipartisan team of election officials will insert ballots from the bin into the tabulator. Additionally, the county election board will ensure that the total number of ballots matches the number of voters who registered at the site. This ensures that every ballot is counted and counted.

With hundreds of tabulators in use across the state during early voting and thousands on Election Day, sometimes a tabulator can run into a problem. This is why the auxiliary bin exists, and it is the industry standard used to deal with these situations in jurisdictions across the country.

Can poll workers write on your ballot? In North Carolina, yes, poll workers can write on ballots, and they often do. This is done for various reasons, as required by law. Social media posts suggesting that writing in your ballot will invalidate it have been circulating for years, and they are false. For more information, see Fact: In North Carolina, if an election worker writes on your ballot, it does not invalidate it.

Your vote will count, even if you leave some contests blank. You are not required to make a selection for each contest listed on your ballot. If you skip contests, your votes will be counted in all other contests listed on your ballot. Leaving a contest blank will not invalidate your ballot.

Your ballot will count, regardless of the voting method. Every eligible North Carolinian’s ballot will be counted regardless of the voting method chosen: by mail, in-person early, or in-person on Election Day.

Can I take a selfie with my ballot? No. In North Carolina, it is illegal to take a selfie with your ballot or photograph your ballot. North Carolina law prohibits photographing or videotaping ballots. Voters may use their electronic devices in the voting booth to access candidate information, provided they do not use those devices to communicate with anyone or to take photos of their ballot or ballot. other voters. The NCSBOE instead encourages selfies with “I Voted” stickers at voter selfie stations outside polling places.

Spouses can vote in the same voting booth if both request it. It’s not common, but state law allows spouses to choose to vote together in the same voting booth. Election officials should not encourage this practice; but if both spouses agree, this is permitted.

Inactive voters remain registered voters. If a person in “inactive” registration status shows up to vote, they will confirm their address with an election official or update their address in that county, if necessary. They will also present photo identification, as required by law.

Can I just vote through the drive-thru?. Yes, sort of. Curbside voting is an option from your car for voters who cannot enter the polling location without physical assistance, usually due to age or disability. It’s not for voters who don’t want to wait in line. Curbside voters must sign a sworn statement stating that due to age or disability, they cannot enter the polling place without assistance.

Poll worker duties. Poll workers are there to ensure voters can vote securely and efficiently. They cannot discuss candidates or voting issues with voters.

Candidate information. Volunteers and supporters of certain candidates are allowed to distribute flyers and other information about the candidates, provided they are outside the buffer zone, which must be marked at each polling location. If activists become too aggressive or find themselves inside the buffer zone, voters should report it immediately to an election official.