You will be assigned a voting place within the precinct where you live when you register or when you
notify the Board of Elections of an address change. You will be assigned your precinct when you register.
You may also call the Board of Elections office for the location of your voting place.
On Election Day
There is NO VOTING at the Macon County Courthouse on Election Day. A Voter must go to their Polling Location on Election Day, based on their physical address, in order to cast a Ballot. If you do not know your Polling Location, please contact the Board of Elections Office and they will assist you with that information. Macon County has 15 Polling Locations. All Voting locations in Macon County are open on Election Day from 6:30am-7:30pm. With the exception of Municipal Elections. For a Municipal Election, only the Voters who live inside the City limits can participate, with only 2 Locations open for those Elections. The Town Hall and the Highlands Civic Center. Upon entering the Voting location, you will provide your name, address, and party affiliation (in Primary Elections) to the Precinct Officials. If you are properly registered to vote, you will be given the appropriate ballot and directed to the Voting booth to mark your ballot, and then you will place your ballot into the Voting Machine.
Note: If a person has changed addresses and not yet notified the election
office, they may still vote on election day. The voter would need to go to the new precinct where the poll worker will
fill out the forms and verify with the county board of elections office. However, this will obviously take time and it
is much simpler to change your address prior to election day.
Curbside Voting
If you are unable to enter the voting place because of age or physical disability, you will be allowed to vote either in your vehicle or near the voting place during the hours that the polling place is open.
Transfer Voting
If you fail to change your address by the registration deadline, there is a procedure that allows you to vote. You may also appear at the Board of Elections office between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Election Day if you failed to change your address. Your information will be corrected and you will vote while in this office. To avoid any delay, please notify the elections office of any address change within 25 days of an election.
One-stop Absentee Voting (Early Voting)
One-stop absentee voting (in-person absentee voting, or early voting) allows registered voters to go in person to their county board of elections office (or an alternative location) to vote an absentee ballot. One-stop absentee voting is conducted starting on the 3rd Thursday before the election and ends at 3:00 p.m. on the last Saturday before the election.
Significant changes were made to the method of requesting and returning an absentee ballot by mail.
Absentee By Mail Voting
Absentee by mail ballots can be requested by any registered Macon County voter or the voter's near relative
in any primary, municipal or general election conducted by the Macon County Board of Elections in which the
voter is qualified to vote. For most elections, ballots will be available 50 days prior to the date of election,
60 days prior to the date of a statewide general election and 30 days prior to the date of a municipal election.
How to Request an Absentee Ballot
Resgistered voters in North Carolina must request an absentee ballot with an Offical N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form.
There are two ways to access and sbumit this form:
or in person or by mail via the U.S. Postal Service, DHL, FedEx or UPS.
Deadline for Requesting an Absentee Ballot
State Absentee Ballot Request Forms must be received in the Macon County Board of Elections by 5:00 PM on
the Tuesday before Election Day (one week prior to the election).
Requests By Near Relative
A request for an absentee ballot for a voter may be made by the voter or the voter's near relative. The State Absentee Ballot Request Form may be completed by the following near relatives for a qualified voter:
Spouse
Brother or sister
Parent
Grandparent
Child
Grandchild
Father- or Mother-in-law
Son- or Daughter-in-law
Stepparent
Stepchild
Verifiable legal guardian
Completing the State Absentee Ballot Request Form
The State Absentee Ballot Request Form may only be signed by the voter or a near relative or legal guardian
of the voter. When completing the form, the voter or the requestor must sign and provide the voter's name,
residential address, date of birth, and an identification number for the voter (i.e., NC DMV driver
license number, NC DMV identification card number, or the last four digits of the voter's social
security number.) If an identification number is not provided on the form, then the requestor must
submit one of the documents listed below along with the completed request form:
A copy of a current and valid photo identification
A copy of one of the following documents that shows the name and address of the voter: a current
utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document.
If a person other than the voter (a near relative or legal guardian) makes the request, then the
requestor must also provide his or her name and residential address on the request form. If
requesting a ballot for a partisan primary, and the voter is registered Unaffiliated, the voter
or requestor should indicate the ballot preference for the voter. Finally, the voter or requestor
must provide the address where the absentee balloting materials are to be mailed, if different than
the voter's residential address.
NOTE: If a registered North Carolina voter (including eligible dependents) is absent due to military
service or is currently living overseas, then only the actual voter may complete the State Absentee
Ballot Request Form or apply using the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). For more information
please visit the NC State Board of Election's website at
www.ncsbe.gov
Processing of Absentee Ballot Requests
If the request is complete and the voter is eligible to vote in the election, the absentee balloting materials will be mailed
to the voter once ballots for an election are available. The materials are not available for in-person pick up -- they must be mailed.
Upon receiving the balloting materials, the voter must follow the ballot marking and return instructions. In the presence
of two (2) witnesses or a notary-public who are over the age of 18, the voter should mark the ballot, or cause it to be
marked according to his or her instructions.
Deadline for Returning an Absentee Ballot
All civilian absentee ballots must be received by the Macon County Board of Elections by 5:00 PM on the
day of the election. If mailed, the ballot is timely as long as the container-return envelope is postmarked
by Election Day and received no later than three days after the election, by 5:00 PM. If balloting materials
are returned in person, only the voter or a near relative may deliver the ballot.
Polling Place Buffer Zones for Macon County Polling Places:
The following is a list of Macon County polling places and a description of each
buffer zone in which Election Day electioneering. Buffer zones are designated in
accordance with G.S. 163-166.4(a), by the County Board of Elections. Where
practical set limit of the zone is 50 feet from the door of entrance to the voting place.
The poll workers will mark buffer zones on Election Day with
"No Campaigning Past This Point" at the following polling locations:
North Franklin - Franklin Town Hall - 95 Main Street, Franklin, NC 28734
South Franklin - Macon County Public Library - 149 Siler Farm Rd. Franklin, NC 28734
East Franklin - Macon County Environmental Resource Center - 1624 Lakeside Drive, Franklin, NC 28734
Burningtown - Burningtown Community Building - 30 Daves Creek Road, Franklin, NC 28734
Cowee - Cowee School - 51 Cowee School Drive, Franklin, NC 28734
Macon County Precincts and Commissioner Districts
Click for large Print
Macon County School District Map
Click for large Print
Voting Machine Instructions
The verity scan accepts the ballots after the voter has completed their choices
The touch writer is available for anyone that needs assistance with their ballot or
would like to mark their ballot electronically. Paper Ballot prints out with the voters choices. ADA Compliant.
