UNC Asheville Votes is a nonpartisan effort and resource on campus for students and community members interested in civic and electoral engagement. Our goal is to reduce barriers to voting and increase participation in local, state, and national elections. Whether you’re a first-time voter or need to update your registration details, we are here to assist you every step of the way.

Register to Vote Election Dates & Deadlines Prepare to Vote In-Person vs. Mail-in Voting Contact Us

Important Election Dates & Deadlines

Fall 2025

  • September 16: National Voter Registration Day

    Join us at one of the voter registration drives on campus from 10-3.


  • October 10: NC voter registration deadline for 2025 municipal elections

    Same-day registration will still be available during the Early Voting period.


  • October 16—November 1: Early Voting for NC municipal elections

    The city of Asheville does not have municipal elections in 2025, but many other NC cities and towns do, including nearby Woodfin and Weaverville


  • October 21: Deadline to request an absentee ballot in NC for municipal elections

    We recommend requesting well beforehand!


  • November 4: Election Day for NC cities with municipal elections

    Absentee ballots must be received by Election Day.

    •  

    Spring 2026

    • February 6: NC voter registration deadline for 2026 primary elections

      Same-day registration will still be available during the Early Voting period.


    • February 12—February 28: Early Voting for the 2026 primaries in NC

    • February 17: Deadline to request an absentee ballot for the 2026 NC primaries

    • March 3: Election Day in NC for 2026 primary elections

      Absentee ballots must be received by Election Day.

Registering to Vote

Instructions for Registering to Vote

In North Carolina, there are two ways to register to vote or to update your voter registration status: 

Paper Form Online Form

Please note that the online form is only available to those who are existing NC Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) customers. If you do not have an NC driver’s license or another DMV-issued ID, then you must use the paper form. The paper form must be printed, completed, and submitted to your county board of elections. 

If you think you may already be registered to vote in NC but are not certain, use the NC Voter Search Tool to check your registration status on the North Carolina State Board of Elections website. If you are not registered or if the information on that page is out of date, you can use one of the links above to register.

If you are interested in registering to vote outside of NC, we recommend starting at vote.gov, the federal government’s tool for helping voters. You are also welcome to email vote@unca.edu for additional assistance. Please note that registration requirements and deadlines vary by state.

To vote in North Carolina, you must:

  • Be a U.S. citizen;
  • Live in the county in which you are registering and have resided there for at least 30 days prior to the date of the election;
  • Be at least 18 years old by the date of the general election. Sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds may pre-register to vote. Seventeen-year-olds may vote in a primary election if they will be 18 at the time of the general election;
  • Not be serving a felony sentence, including any period of probation or parole. 
Registering in the Criminal Justice System Learn More About Who Can Register

While registering to vote is generally fairly straightforward, there are some tricky parts to the process in NC, especially for college students. 

Here are some tips for ensuring that you register to vote correctly:

  • Be sure to fill out all the required information on the form, particularly if you are using the paper form. Those sections are indicated in red and include the Eligibility, Name, Identification Information, Residential Address, Mailing Address, and Signature sections. 
  • We also recommend that you fill out the Contact Information section of the form. Your county board of election will only use that information to contact you if there are issues in processing your application.
  • Under the Identification Information section, you must include the last four digits of your Social Security Number (SSN) OR your NC Driver’s license number. If you have an out-of-state license, you will be required to use the last four digits of your SSN.
  • College students can choose whether to register at their permanent/home address or at the address at which they reside when they attend school (your campus/Asheville address). There is no “right” answer as to where you should choose. Instead, you should consider registering where you think the day-to-day laws and political decisions affect you the most. It may also be helpful to consider that most elections occur during the academic year. If you register at your permanent address, you will have to either travel to that county to vote or vote by mail.
  • If you live on campus and would like to register to vote at that address, please note that your residential and mailing addresses are distinct. This must be reflected on your voter registration application, as follows:
    • For your residential address, you must use the street address for your particular dorm building. You can find a list of those addresses below. Under the apartment/unit number entry, be sure to include your room number & letter. If you do not, your form may not be processed.
    • For your mailing address, please use your campus PO Box or another reliable address at which you can receive mail. The Board of Elections confirms registration with a valid mailing address, so this is essential. If you have a campus PO Box, the address to use is 2500 University Heights, UNCA Box # XXXX, Asheville, NC 28804. 
  • If you are registering to vote in Asheville, please note that we are in Buncombe County.

Resources and Contacts 

On-Campus Residence Hall Addresses: 

Aspen Hall 

400 Founders Drive

Asheville, NC 28804

Beech Hall 

300 Founders Drive

Asheville, NC 28804

Bird Hall 

1300 University Heights

Asheville, NC 28804

Cedar Hall 

200 Founders Drive

Asheville, NC 28804

Founders Hall 

900 Founders Drive

Asheville, NC 28804

Gardner Hall 

1500 University Heights

Asheville, NC 28804

Governors Hall 

2175 University Heights

Asheville, NC 28804

Magnolia Hall 

100 Founders Drive

Asheville, NC 28804

Mills Hall 

2225 University Heights

Asheville, NC 28804

Moore Hall 

1700 University Heights

Asheville, NC 28804

Ponder Hall 

300 Field Drive

Asheville, NC 28804

Ray Hall 

1100 University Heights

Asheville, NC 28804

Scott Hall 

1900 University Heights

Asheville, NC 28804

South Ridge Hall 

400 Ridge Hall Drive

Asheville, NC 28804

West Ridge Hall 

300 Ridge Hall Drive

Asheville, NC 28804

Willow Hall 

500 Founders Drive

Asheville, NC 28804

If you use the paper form to register to vote, you will need to either drop off or mail your completed form to the board of elections office in the county in which you are registering. You can find your county office’s street and mailing addresses on the NC County Board of Elections page. 

You can also email vote@unca.edu, as we would be happy to provide you with postage or mail your form for you.

Important Voting Information

Before you cast your ballot, there are a few things you should consider:  

The first is that there are generally a lot of different races and candidates on your ballot! As such, regardless of where you are registered to vote, you should research your ballot ahead of time. If you are an NC voter, you can access your sample ballot by searching for yourself on the NC Voter Search page prior to the election. 

Here are some resources to help you research the candidates and positions on your ballot: 

  • Vote 411.org by the League of Women Voters—they provide information on candidates at the national, state, and local levels. All candidate information is in the candidates’ own words.
  • Ballotready.org through the National Science Foundation, the University of Chicago Institute on Politics, and the Knight Foundations, is a good resource for information on your ballot including politicians and referenda

Also, if you are an NC voter, be sure to bring an approved photo ID with you to the polls this year! You can bring an NC driver’s license, a US passport, or your RockyCard Student ID (as long as the name on your ID is closely related to your legal name). More information on the ID requirement and the list of approved IDs can be found on the NC Voter ID page.

If you are a North Carolina voter, there are two primary ways you can vote: in-person or by mail. You should pick the best option for your needs in advance.

For those of you interested in voting in-person, there are two options:

  • You can vote on Election Day. Here are a few things to note if you do so:
    • On Election Day, voters in NC must vote at their assigned polling location. You can find your assigned polling location by searching yourself on the NC Voter Search page.
    • You must be registered to vote beforehand —there is no option to register at the polls on Election Day in NC. 
    • Be prepared to wait in line, as voting on Election Day is very popular
    • More about Election Day voting can be found on the NC Board of Elections page. 
  • Early Voting–You can also vote early in NC during the 17-day early voting period in which you can cast your vote in person before election day. Here are a few things to note about early voting:
    • If you vote early in NC, you do not have to go to your assigned polling location or vote in your precinct. You can vote at any early voting location in the county in which you are registered. See early voting locations in your county. 
    • In NC, the early voting period allows for same-day voter registration—you can register to vote or update your registration status at the polls during the early voting period. You cannot do so on election day in NC. 
    • The polls are open on the weekends in the Early Voting period!
    • See more details about NC Early Voting. 

Absentee voting or voting by mail is also available in NC. Here are a few things to note about this form of voting:

  • You do not need special circumstances or an excuse to vote by mail in NC—all NC voters are eligible to do so. 
  • You can request an absentee ballot through the online portal or through the paper form, which you can print, complete, and mail in. 
  • Please pay close attention to the deadlines for requesting and returning your ballot by mail. We recommend acting well before those deadlines
  • More information about voting by mail. 

If you plan to vote outside of NC, we recommend using the US Vote Foundation website to look up the relevant deadlines and processes for voting by mail in your state of registration. 

UNC Asheville Votes Accomplishments

Voter Registration and Turnout Data

UNC Asheville participates in the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE). See below for our most recent reports on Student Voting Rates:

2012 & 2016 2014 & 2018 2020 2022

All-In Challenge Participation

In every election cycle since 2016, UNC Asheville has participated in the All-In Campus Democracy Challenge, which has recognized our achievements on campus, as follows:

2022

We received the distinction of having a Highly Established Action Plan,  a report we submitted describing the civic engagement landscape on our campus, identifying short-term and long-term goals for our efforts, and articulating strategies to keep improving election engagement on campus

2020

We received a Platinum Medal for voter turnout rates of 80-89 percent in the 2020 Presidential Election.

2018

We received a Gold Medal for voter turnout rates of 40-49 percent in the 2018 midterm election.

2016

We received the Bronze Medal for voter turnout in the 2016 election, which was awarded to campuses with voting rates between 50 and 59 percent. 

Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns, please contact us at vote@unca.edu. 

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