Options for Casting Your Primary Ballot This Year

Who Can Vote this Ballot in this Election:

All registered Watauga County voters can vote in the 2026 primaries. This includes students living in dorms on ASU’s campus or in off campus housing. If you are living in Watauga County and are not registered to vote, you can register and vote on the same day during the early voting period (Thursday, February 12th through Saturday, February 28th). You cannot register and vote on Election Day itself (March 3rd).

Registered Democrats must vote a “Democratic Ballot.” Registered Republicans must vote a “Republican Primary Ballot.” Registered Libertarians must vote a “Libertarian” ballot. Those unaffiliated with any political party may choose to vote one of the following: (1) a “Democratic” Ballot or (2) a “Republican” Ballot or (3) a “Nonpartisan” Ballot. NOTE: The “nonpartisan ballot” offers only single race for you to vote on (Watauga County Board of Education) and only IF you live in a certain district (Districts #1 or #4), so if you want to vote in other races, you need to choose a Democratic or Republican ballot.

You will need to present an ID to vote. IDs acceptable for voting purposes include unexpired NC drivers licenses, passports, and ASU Student physical card IDs. Thanks to the NC State Board of Elections’ attempts to suppress university and college voting, your digital ASU ID will NOT be accepted as an ID for voting purposes. ASU students can get a free physical ID card for voting purposes at the Card Office in the Student Union by just asking for one. Go HERE for a full list of acceptable Voter IDs.

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE AN ID, you can still cast a provisional ballot that will count by filling out an “ID Exception Form.” The form allows you to provide your reason for being unable to provide the required ID by selecting from numerous choices or allows you to write in your reason.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The address on your NC driver’s license DOES NOT have to match your voter registration record. It is only used to see if the picture on your ID reasonably resembles you and if the name on your ID is the same as or similar to the name on your registration.

Option #1: Vote Before Election Day (“early vote”)

All registered and non-registered Watauga County residents (ASU students who live in dorms are Watauga residents) can vote a primary ballot during the early voting period. Voters may choose to cast a ballot during the early voting period at any early voting location they choose (see below).

Early voting begins Thursday, February 12th and runs through noon on Saturday, February 28th. You can cast your ballot at any early voting location you choose. Early voting will be open at all sites from 8AM to 7:30PM on weekdays, as well as from 8AM to 3PM on Saturday, February 28th.

Please consider casting your early ballot at the ASU Student Union early voting site so we can ensure this site for future elections. Parking for at the Student Union is free for all voters.

NOTE: If you are a registered voter who has changed addresses since the last election or since you registered to vote, you should vote during the early voting period in order to update your address and cast your ballot at the same time.

EARLY VOTING SITES 2026:

Watauga County residents may use any early voting site they choose. You can register to vote and cast your ballot on the same day during the early voting period. Early voting begins Thursday, February 12th and ends Saturday, February 28th. All early voting locations are open for voting from 8AM-7:30 pm on weekdays and from 8AM-3PM on Saturday, February 28th. (All locations offer the same hours and all offer free parking for voters.)

PLEMMONS STUDENT UNION, Blue Ridge Ballroom (ASU CAMPUS)
263 Locust Street, Boone (Parking lot at 644 Howard Street)
WATAUGA COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
814 W. King Street, Boone
BLOWING ROCK AMERICAN LEGION BUILDING
333 Wallingford Street, Blowing Rock
DEEP GAP FIRE DEPARTMENT
6583 Old 421 S, Deep Gap
MEAT CAMP FIRE DEPARTMENT
4797 NC Hwy 194 N, Boone
WESTERN WATAUGA COMMUNITY CENTER
1081 Old US Hwy 421, Sugar Grove

HOW TO REGISTER & VOTE ON THE SAME DAY DURING THE EARLY VOING PERIOD:

You CAN register to vote and vote on the same day during the early voting period. You CANNOT register and vote on Election Day itself, March 3rd.

IMPORTANT: New laws were recently passed to make Same Day voting trickier. If your voter registration card is sent to wrong mailing address and then returned to the local Board of Elections as “undeliverable,” your registration and vote will be in jeopardy. So if you go in to register and vote on the same day, BE SURE that the poll worker inputs your full mailing address into your voter form (If you get your mail at an apartment complex, be sure the poll worker includes your Apartment number. If you get your mail at a post office box, make sure the poll worker enters that well.) Your mailing address does NOT have to be in Watauga County.

Same day registrants must prove their residence by presenting any of the following documents showing their current name and current address (NOTE: Current address means the document is no more than three months old): (1) NC Driver’s license (if the address on the license is where you currently live); or (2) A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or any other government document if it has your name and Watauga County address; or (3) A student transcript, tuition statement, invoice, or any receipt issued by the college or university (ASU has sent all ASU dorm students a copy of the document they need to prove residency for voting via email); or (4) Documents issued by a temporary or transitional housing facility.

ASU Students living in dorms wishing to register and vote on the same day can show their ASU Student physical ID card and any document from ASU that has your name and on-campus housing address. This information can be presented when you go to vote in hard copy OR from your cell phone.

Option #2: Request that an Absentee Ballot be Mailed to You

If you are a registered voter in Watauga County, you may request that a ballot be mailed to your home or elsewhere, but due to voter suppression laws passed by the NC State Legislature, this is not your best bet.

The deadline for absentee ballot requests is Feb. 17th. The rules for counting absentee votes as valid have also changed. All absentee mail in ballots must be received by the voter’s county board by 7:30 p.m. by the primary election date (March 3rd) regardless of when the ballot was postmarked. If the mail runs late, so will your ballot.

There are two ways to request a ballot be mailed to you. Option #1 is to fill out an editable PDF form. Option #2 is to use an online portal to request your ballot. Be sure to fill out the Absentee Ballot Request form completely. Detailed instructions can be found HERE. Once you receive your ballot by mail, it is VERY important to follow all instructions carefully and perfectly. If there are any “problems” with your failure to follow all instructions in any way, your ballot will be rejected.

FINE PRINT: Once you receive your absentee ballot, you will need two witnesses (or one notary) to sign it before you return it to the Board of Elections. Your witnesses do not have to be registered voters. Witnesses must be at least 18 years of age and can be family members. Witnesses do not have to be residents of Watauga County. Candidates for the election CANNOT be witnesses to your Ballot. It will cost you 98 cents (two “forever” stamps) to return your ballot.

You can drop off your marked Watauga County ballot in person at any early voting site (you will need to go inside) or at the Board of Elections office (just inside the Courthouse). Or you can return the ballot by mail to Watauga County Board of Elections • PO Box 528 • Boone, NC 28607. It will cost you either one forever stamp or around 70 cents to mail your ballot. The deadline for returning your mail in ballot has shortened to 7:30PM on March 5th regardless of the postmark or the fact that the post office didn’t deliver it on time. For this reason, if you have the funds, I suggest you mail it overnight delivery. You track the progress of your mail in ballot online HERE.

Option #3: Vote on Election Day, March 5th

IMPORTANT NOTE: I STRONGLY recommend voting early. This way, if there is a problem with your voter registration (for instance a change in address), or an issue with your ID, you can fix that problem and vote on the same day. It is harder to fix voter registration problems on Election Day.

YES! You can vote “out of your designated precinct” on election day if you are a registered voter. Here’s how….

You must already be a registered Watauga County voter to vote a ballot on election day. You cannot register to vote and vote on election day. All polling locations are open on Election Day from 6:30AM-7:30PM.

….You can go to any Election Day precinct (The ASU Student Union for example) on election day and vote a provisional ballot (be sure to ask for it) even if your designated election day precinct is located elsewhere. As long as you are verified as a registered voter living within Watauga County, your provisional ballot WILL count.

NOTE: The precinct judges are required to tell you if you arrive at a precinct other than your designated precinct that you have two options: (1) Go to your correct precinct to vote, (2) go to the transfer station at the County Board of Elections, OR (3) cast a provisional ballot.

Election Day Polling Locations:

If you do not know the location of your “assigned” precinct, call the Watauga County Board of Elections at 828.265.8061.

ELECTION DAY PRECINCTS 2026

Bald Mountain: Todd Fire Department
Beaver Dam: Beaver Dam Fire Department
Beech Mountain: Buckeye Recreation Center
Blowing Rock: American Legion Building
Blue Ridge: Laurel Fork Baptist Church
Boone 1: Watauga County Administration Building (beside the Courthouse)
Boone 2: ASU Student Union, Blue Ridge Ballroom
Boone 3: Agricultural Conference Center (off Poplar Grove Road)
Brushy Fork: Caldwell Community College Building #460
Cove Creek: Zionville Fire Department
Elk: Stewart Simmons Fire Department
Laurel Creek: Cove Creek Fire Department
Meat Camp: Meat Camp Fire Department
New River 1: Boone Town Council Chambers (Blowing Rock Road)
New River 2: Three Forks Baptist Association
New River 3: Watauga County Recreation Center (off State Farm Road)
North Fork: Edgar Eller’s Garage
Shawneehaw: Matney Community Center
Stony Fork: Deep Gap Fire Department
Watauga: Foscoe Christian Church