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A photo ID is now required to vote in NC beginning with the municipal elections in the fall of 2023, but there are exceptions! See the NC Board of Elections info on Voter ID here.
Voting questions? Call the non-partisan voter information hotline at 888-OUR-VOTE.

Voting with a new legal name in North Carolina

I have a new legal name.

img - mailbox with I voted Today sticker on it

How do I update my voter registration?

A registered voter can update their voter registration to reflect their new legal name in one of the following ways:

  • By submitting a voter registration form (listing their new legal name in Section 2) by mail, fax, or email to their County Board of Elections office (must be received by 5 PM 25 days before Election Day); or
  • By updating this information in person at any Early Voting site in their county during the 17-day Early Voting period before Election Day.
  • By updating their name on the absentee request form, if requesting an absentee by mail ballot
  • By updating their name on the voter registration card and mailing back to the county board of elections (must be received by 5 PM 25 days before Election Day)
  • By mailing a written statement that is signed by the voter and contains the registrant’s full names (old and new), and the registrant’s current residence address.

IMPORTANT! The online voter registration platform does NOT allow users to make a name change.

A voter who is updating their name will not be asked to present ID or other proof of the name change.

It is important to include an up-to-date residence address. Name changes will result in a confirmation mailing being sent to the voter’s residence address. If the mailing is returned as undeliverable, the voter could then be removed from voter rolls.