Early voting in Guilford County

Over the next 11 months, voters across the country will head to the polls to elect the next President, members of Congress, Governors, and many other leaders who will decide on legislation that will impact everyone. In North Carolina, the primary election will take place on March 5th. Primary elections play a significant role in who will ultimately be elected in November.

This week, voters will start early voting in Guilford County on Thursday, February 15 until March 2, 2024, with 17 open polling sites across the county, including the hard-fought-for sites at North Carolina A&T State University and The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

The biggest change this year is that voters will now be asked to present a valid photo identification when voting in person. If you do not have a valid photo ID card on Election Day, you may still vote and have your vote counted by signing an affidavit of reasonable impediment (or “Photo ID Exception Form”) as to why you have not presented a valid photo ID.

As an alternative, if you don’t have your ID when you vote, you can still vote and then bring your valid photo ID to your county board of elections by 5 p.m. on the ninth day after Election Day (or the sixth day after Election Day for September or October local elections). If you vote by mail, you must include a photocopy of a valid photo ID when returning your ballot. You may also complete the Absentee Photo ID Exception Form that is provided with your absentee ballot materials.

In addition to federal and state races, Greensboro residents have a few important races to pay attention to:

In the Democratic Primary:

For N.C. Governor, current N.C. Attorney Gen. Josh Stein faces former N.C. Supreme Court Justice Michael Morgan.

For N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice Seat 06, current Superior Court Judge and Greensboro resident Lora Cubbage faces Allison Riggs, who was appointed by Gov. Cooper to fill the unexpired term of Michael Morgan on the N.C. Supreme Court Justice.

Guilford County Board of Education District 7 sees Democrat incumbent Bettye Jenkins face opponent Anthony Izzard.

In the Republican Primary:

Current Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson will face State Treasurer Dale Folwell and attorney Bill Graham.

Guilford County Board of Commissioners District 6 Republican primary sees a matchup between Maritza Gomez and Demetria Carter.

When voting this year, please know that in North Carolina you will now have to present a photo ID.

Important Dates in North Carolina:

January 19
Absentee Ballots Start to Be Mailed Out (if requested by a voter)

February 9
Voter Registration Deadline for Primary Election (other than same day registration and voting)

February 15
In-Person Early Voting Begins

February 27
Deadline to Request Absentee Ballot

March 2
In-Person Early Voting Ends

March 5
Primary Election Day (also deadline for mailed absentee ballots to reach county election offices, which is an earlier deadline than prior elections)

For more information on voting in Guilford County, visit www.guilfordelections.org.