The Assembly · Assembly Staff · September 8, 2026
The Assembly Network ’s 2026 election guide gives you important information about key dates, registering to vote, and sample ballots.
Welcome to The Assembly’s 2026 Election Guide. Below, you will find a tool to see a sample ballot for the upcoming election tailored to your district, with biographies of the candidates written by our reporters. Enter your address to access the tool.
This guide also has important election and registration deadlines, a set of frequently asked questions for voters, and all of our coverage of the 2026 campaign.
Interested in learning more about your local elections? The Assembly Network ’s five local publications have you covered.
We will continue to update this page through November 3; check back for more coverage. Please send tips and corrections to corrections@theassemblync.com
Get updates on major races across North Carolina throughout the 2026 election season and beyond with The Assembly’s free statewide newsletter.
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* Dates and information courtesy of the North Carolina State Board of Elections
To be able to register to vote in the state of North Carolina, you must meet the following requirements, as written by the North Carolina State Board of Elections :
North Carolina’s voter registration deadline is 25 days prior to Election Day. For this election, that falls on October 9. However, if you miss that deadline, you may still be able to complete same-day registration in person during the early voting period, which ends October 31.
There are several options for North Carolina residents for voter registration:
You can check your voter registration status with the state’s Voter Search tool .
You can find early voting sites and schedules in your county using the North Carolina State Board of Elections’ Early Voting Site Search .
Polls open at 6:30 a.m. on Election Day and close at 7:30 p.m. If you are in line when polls close, you should stay in line to be able to vote.
Your Election Day voting site can be found using the NCSBE Election Day Polling Place Search .
All North Carolina voters will be allowed to vote with or without a photo ID, but all will be asked to show photo ID when voting.
County boards of elections can also issue photo IDs specifically for voters for free. Learn more here .
Voters who complete an absentee ballot must include a photocopy of their ID or an ID exemption form.
You can also use an ID exception form if you are unable to provide an ID as listed above. For in-person voters, an ID exception form means the ballot will be cast provisionally. The following count as permitted reasons to not have an ID:
In 2025, the North Carolina State Board of Elections determined that more than 100,000 voters had to provide additional documentation to verify their registration . Without the documentation, those voters would have to cast a provisional ballot on Election Day.
At time of publication, more than 63,000 voters remain on this list. You can see if you appear on the list by using the Registration Repair Search Tool .
Those who need to participate in the registration repair process can do so by providing an N.C. driver’s license number or DMV number online, visiting their county elections board office with their social security number or driver’s license, or by filling out a letter mailed to them by the State Board of Elections. You can learn more about that process on the State Board of Elections website .
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