By Beth Foreman

Dear Neighbor,

I cannot remember a time when I didn’t vote, though in my youth I didn’t pay much attention to local offices. We moved a lot before finally settling in N.Y. and then 23 years ago in  Salisbury. Since moving to Salisbury, my husband and I have embraced a full life here. There are so many opportunities to volunteer or not, to fill civic offices or not, to travel within N.C. (what a beautiful state), to join a senior center, the YMCA, civic organizations and so much more.

Before we elected to pursue any of those activities, we registered to vote. It’s a commitment we have always taken seriously. Registering to vote, and then voting, is more than marking a ballot. It’s also informing yourself about the issues, about the candidates and being thoughtful about how you and others may be affected by the results of elections. And most importantly, informing yourself about the process of voting.

We seem to be bombarded with inaccurate information about how voting works through social media, sound bites, etc. Know your rights as a voter. Here are some facts and a link to voter resources: https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting

New this year is a photo ID requirement. A photo ID is required for in-person voting and for absentee by mail voting. Use the link above to learn which IDs are acceptable, how to get a free ID if you don’t have one, and exceptions to this new requirement.

What’s a provisional ballot? This ballot is used if there is a question about a voter’s eligibility to vote. North Carolina state law mandates that no person shall be denied the option to vote a provisional ballot. 

According to DemocracyNC, in 2020 only 60 percent of provisional ballots were counted. Ballots were rejected at local nonpartisan board of elections offices for a variety of reasons too long to list. Voters who were denied a regular ballot for identification issues have until 10 days after Election Day to provide ID to the local board of elections. Failure to complete this step will result in your ballot/vote not being counted. I suspect that not many voters know of this 10-day rule. Please help spread the word.

And lastly, federal law states that it is unlawful for a non-citizen to vote in federal elections. As of June 2024, no state constitutions explicitly allowed noncitizens to vote in state or local elections.

In addition to voting, I choose to “work” the polls as a nonpartisan election worker because I can, because it’s a small way I can participate in free and fair elections, because my Unitarian Universalist faith compels me to do this work and because it helps my community.

In Rowan County, I have found our local board of elections is very flexible in scheduling poll worker days and hours during the early voting period. (I think you’re required to work all day on Election Day). Yes, it’s a time commitment but the rewards are numerous and include meeting other poll workers, meeting voters, learning how elections really work and knowing that you have contributed to what, I believe, is the greatest gift we’re given as citizens — the right to participate in governance through our vote.

“Dear Neighbor” authors are united in a belief that civility and passion can coexist. We believe curiosity and conversation make us a better community.