§ 163-82.4 — Contents of application form

North Carolina § 163-82.4

• Jurisdiction: North Carolina
• Ch. 163: Elections and Election Laws
• Art. 7A: Registration of Voters
• Subch. iii: qualifying to vote

Text

(a) Information Requested of Applicant. - The form required by G.S. 163-82.3(a) shall request the applicant's:
(1) Name,
(2) Date of birth,
(3) Residence address,
(4) County of residence,
(5) Date of application,
(6) Gender,
(7) Race,
(8) Ethnicity,
(9) Political party affiliation, if any, in accordance with subsection (d) of this section,
(10) Telephone number (to assist the county board of elections in contacting the voter if needed in processing the application),
(11) Drivers license number or, if the applicant does not have a drivers license number, the last four digits of the applicant's social security number,
and any other information the State Board finds is necessary to enable officials of the county where the person resides to satisfactorily process the application. The form shall require the applicant to state whether currently registered to vote anywhere, and at what address, so that any prior registration can be cancelled. The portions of the form concerning race and ethnicity shall include as a choice any category shown by the most recent decennial federal census to compose at least one percent (1%) of the total population of North Carolina. The county board shall make a diligent effort to complete for the registration records any information requested on the form that the applicant does not complete, but no application shall be denied because an applicant does not state race, ethnicity, gender, or telephone number. The application shall conspicuously state that provision of the applicant's telephone number is optional. If the county board maintains voter records on computer, the free list provided under this subsection shall include telephone numbers if the county board enters the telephone number into its computer records of voters.
(b) No Drivers License or Social Security Number Issued. - The State Board shall assign a unique identifier number to an applicant for voter registration if the applicant has not been issued either a current and valid drivers license or a social security number. That unique identifier number shall serve to identify that applicant for voter registration purposes.
(c) Notice of Requirements, Attestation, Notice of Penalty, and Notice of Confidentiality. - The form required by G.S. 163-82.3(a) shall contain, in uniform type, the following:
(1) A statement that specifies each eligibility requirement (including citizenship) and an attestation that the applicant meets each such requirement, with a requirement for the signature of the applicant, under penalty of a Class I felony under G.S. 163-275(13).
(2) A statement that, if the applicant declines to register to vote, the fact that the applicant has declined to register will remain confidential and will be used only for voter registration purposes.
(3) A statement that, if the applicant does register to vote, the office at which the applicant submits a voter registration application will remain confidential and will be used only for voter registration purposes.
(d) Party Affiliation or Unaffiliated Status. - The application form described in G.S. 163-82.3(a) shall provide a place for the applicant to state a preference to be affiliated with one of the political parties in G.S. 163-96, or a preference to be an "unaffiliated" voter. Every person who applies to register shall state his preference. If the applicant fails to declare a preference for a party or for unaffiliated status, that person shall be listed as "unaffiliated", except that if the person is already registered to vote in the county and that person's registration already contains a party affiliation, the county board shall not change the registrant's status to "unaffiliated" unless the registrant clearly indicates a desire in accordance with G.S. 163-82.17 for such a change. An unaffiliated registrant shall not be eligible to vote in any political party primary, except as provided in G.S. 163-119, but may vote in any other primary or general election. The application form shall so state.
(e) Citizenship and Age Questions. - Voter registration application forms shall include all of the following:
(1) The following question and statement:
a. "Are you a citizen of the United States of America?" and boxes for the applicant to check to indicate whether the applicant is or is not a citizen of the United States.
b. "If you checked 'no' in response to this question, do not submit this form."
(2) The following question and statement:
a. "Will you be 18 years of age on or before election day?" and boxes for the applicant to check to indicate whether the applicant will be 18 years of age or older on election day.
b. "If you checked 'no' in response to this question, do not submit this form."
(f) Correcting Registration Forms. - If the voter fails to complete any required item on the voter registration form but provides enough information on the form to enable the county board to identify and contact the voter, the voter shall be notified of the omission and given the opportunity to complete the form at least by 12:00 P.M. on the third business day after the election. If the voter corrects that omission within that time and is determined by the county board to be eligible to vote, the county board shall permit the voter to vote. If the information is not corrected by election day, the voter shall be allowed to vote a provisional official ballot. If the correct information is provided to the county board by at least 12:00 P.M. on the third business day after the election, the county board shall count any portion of the provisional official ballot that the voter is eligible to vote. (1901, c. 89, s. 12; Rev., s. 4319; C.S., s. 5940; Ex. Sess. 1920, c. 93; 1933, c. 165, s. 5; 1951, c. 984, s. 1; 1953, c. 843; 1955, c. 800; c. 871, s. 2; 1957, c. 784, s. 2; 1963, c. 303, s. 1; 1967, c. 775, s. 1; 1971, c. 1166, s. 6; 1973, c. 793, s. 27; c. 1223, s. 3; 1975, c. 234, s. 2; 1979, c. 135, s. 1; c. 539, ss. 1-3; c. 797, ss. 1, 2; 1981, c. 222; c. 308, s. 2; 1991 (Reg. Sess., 1992), c. 1044, s. 18(a); 1993, c. 74, s. 1; 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 762, s. 2; 1999-424, s. 7(c), (d); 1999-453, s. 8(a); 2003-226, s. 9; 2004-127, s. 4; 2005-428, s. 15; 2007-391, s. 20; 2008-187, s. 33(a); 2009-541, s. 9(a); 2013-381, s. 12.1(c); 2017-6, s. 3; 2018-146, s. 3.1(a), (b); 2024-57, s. 3A.4(a).)