Voter Registration

Voter Registration Forms

Print and complete the Voter Registration form and bring or mail to the Board of Elections Office.

• English
• Spanish

Registration Qualifications

To register, you must be:

• A citizen of the United States (if convicted of a felony, citizenship rights must have been restored)
• 18 years of age or older; Persons who are 17 years of age, who will be 18 by the date of the next general election, may register, not more than 60 days, prior to the primary and be allowed to vote in that primary. This voting privilege does not apply to Nonpartisan Elections or to Bond Referendums.

Lincoln County has permanent and continuous registration. You need to register, transfer or reregister only if you:

• Have not registered in Lincoln County before
• Have moved to a different voting precinct since you registered in Lincoln County. You must transfer your address prior to the registration deadline (25 days before each election). Failure to transfer by the deadline will delay your voting on election day
• Wish to change your party affiliation
• Have changed your name since your original registration
• A voter's record could be placed in an inactive file for failure to reply within 30 days to a confirmation notice pursuant to GS-163-82.14 (b) 2 or if a voter card is returned by the Postal Service as undeliverable

Registration Locations

• Lincoln County Board of Elections Office, Room 202, Lincolnton (Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm)
• Department of Motor Vehicles Drivers License Division (but only while conducting official business)
• Various agencies (Social Services, Health Department, Agencies dealing with people with Disabilities, Employment Security Commission, Armed Forces Recruitment offices)
• Public Locations including some government offices and political party headquarters

You may change your address by filling out the blank side of your voter registration card and returning it to the Board of Elections. Card must be postmarked 25 days before an election or received in the office by 5:00 pm 25 days before an election.

Party Affiliation

When you register, you will need to declare your party affiliation. You may register with any recognized party in the State of North Carolina. Party affiliation determines the primary in which a voter is eligible to vote. You may also register unaffiliated. During a partisan primary election, an unaffiliated voter may vote only in a party primary that authorizes unaffiliated voters. If no party authorizes unaffiliated voters, they may only vote in non-partisan races and bond issues.