08 NCAC 10B .0109 Voting site uniformity
(a) Station Set-Up. All equipment and furniture in the voting enclosure shall be arranged so that it can be seen from the public space of the voting enclosure. Each voting enclosure shall contain at a minimum:
(1) Check-in station, where voters may provide identification information if required pursuant to G.S. 163A-1144 and declare their intent to vote. The check-in station shall include the following:
(A) Voter lists or pollbooks. If the voting site utilizes an electronic pollbook, the site must also maintain a backup hardcopy for use in the event of technical difficulty or disruption;
(B) Authorization to Vote Forms and labels on Election Day or One-Stop Absentee Applications during the one-stop early voting period, and all such other supplies as may be required by the Executive Director of the State Board; and
(C) Guides, signage, and all other materials as may be required by the Executive Director of the State Board for the effective administration of elections, displayed in the manner specified;
(2) Ballot station, where elections officials distribute official ballot and provide ballot-marking instructions to voters who have completed required vote-authorization document(s);
(3) Help station, where voters can receive assistance if there is any issue checking in the voter, pursue provisional voting, and where voter challenges shall be heard;
(4) Voting stations (or "booths") shall be situated in a manner that ensures the privacy of the voter's selections and shall be maintained in an manner clear of electioneering materials and sample ballots. The number of booths shall not be fewer than a minimum number determined by the county board of elections, unless a greater number is specified by the Executive Director of the State Board based on expected voter turnout or other factors;
(5) Exit station, where an election official ensures ballots are appropriately placed in the tabulator or ballot box; and
(6) Curbside station, where qualified voters may vote curbside in accordance with 08 NCAC 10B. 0108.
(b) Technology and Connectivity. Every voting enclosure must have access to a phone or other device, including a cell phone when service is available in the building, that facilitates communication with the county board of elections office and emergency services. The county board of elections office shall keep a record of contact information for each voting enclosure within the county and ensure all elections officials have contact information for the county board of elections office and emergency services. Elections officials shall monitor the phone or device.
(c) Check-in Station. Persons seeking to vote shall enter the voting enclosure through the entrance and present at the Check-in Station. The election official at the check-in station shall:
(1) Ask the voter to state their current name (as required by G.S. 163A-1137(a)). If, due to disability, a voter is unable to state his or her name, he or she may otherwise signal to the elections official, including by way of a person providing assistance or through documents;
(2) Ask the voter to state the address where he or she resided for at least 30 days as of Election Day (as required by G.S. 163A-1137(a));
(3) If the election is a partisan primary: Ask the voter to indicate his or her party affiliation or, if the voter is unaffiliated, to state which of the available primary ballots he or she prefers;
(4) If required under G.S. 163A-1144, ask the voter to provide acceptable identification. Examine identification document presented by the voter;
(5) Search for and correctly identify the voter in the pollbook or its equivalent;
(6) Make any updates or corrections to the voter's name in the voter record;
(7) Update the voter's address in the voter record (or alternately, complete documentation to make that change if the process is not automatic), if the voter has moved to a new address in the county and will have lived at the address for at least 30 days as of the date of the election;
(8) If the voter does not present acceptable identification necessary to verify the identity of a previously unverified voter:
(A) Provide the help referral form provided by the State Board; and
(B) Direct the voter to the Help Station;
(9) Provide the voter with an authorization to vote document or one-stop application and ask the voter to confirm the information and sign the document. The vote-authorizing documents should be numbered sequentially to aid in the voting site's required ballot reconciliation process;
(10) Sign the authorization to vote document or one-stop application before directing the voter to the ballot station where, provided the voter is duly registered and has not been successfully challenged, the official assigned to distribute the official ballots shall hand the voter the official ballot that voter is entitled to vote, or that voter shall be directed to the voting equipment that produces the official ballot; and
(11) If a voter is not found to be registered or cannot be directed to the ballot station:
(A) Provide the help referral form provided by the State Board; and
(B) Refer the voter to the help station for the purpose of receiving alternate voting options.
(d) Ballot Station. The ballot station official shall accept the vote-authorizing document from the voter and review the form and ensure that it is signed by the voter. For counties using paper ballots, the official shall retrieve the ballot style listed on the vote-authorizing document. If the voting site has more than one ballot style, the official must scan the barcode on the ballot style retrieved and then scan the barcode on the vote-authorizing document to ensure that the voter is issued the correct ballot. During one-stop absentee voting, before issuing the ballot to the voter, the precinct official shall record the absentee application number on the ballot. For counties whose paper ballots are coded by style the official must record the precinct/voter tabulation district number on the ballot. The official shall sequentially number the authorization to vote document or one-stop application. Next, the precinct official shall:
(1) Direct the voter to the voting equipment and provide instructions for use of the equipment as necessary;
(2) Instruct the voter to mark the ballot before placing the ballot into the tabulator;
(3) Provide the voter with any technical information the voter desires as necessary to enable voting; and
(4) If a voter makes a mistake and asks for a new ballot, the ballot station official shall follow procedures pursuant to 08 NCAC 10B. 0104.
(e) Help Station. The help station is the location in the voting enclosure for discussion with voters about irregular situations including provisional voting or precinct transfers. A voter may be sent to the help station if there is some issue with the voter's registration or the voter is unable to receive a regular ballot. Each individual help station shall have:
(1) A Voting Site Station Guide available and on display, as provided by the Executive Director of the State Board;
(2) Supplies as specified by the Executive Director of the State Board; and
(3) At least one voting booth set up at or near the station for provisional voters to mark their ballots.
(f) Exit Station. An election official shall be posted at the exit point of a voting enclosures where paper ballots are used and shall ensure only official ballots are deposited into the tabulator or ballot box. The exit station official shall ensure that no provisional ballots are placed in the ballot box and that voters do not leave the voting enclosure with a ballot.
(g) Curbside Station. Every voting site in the state shall have an area where qualified voters may vote curbside in accordance with 08 NCAC 10B. 0108.
History Note: Authority G.S. 163A-741; 163A-1137; 163A-1168;
Eff. October 1, 2018.