This story originally published online at N.C. Policy Watch. 

It’s Primary Election Day across North Carolina with voters heading to the polls to select the candidates they would like to see move on to the November 8th general election.

Topping the ballot will be the closely watched U.S. Senate race, a rare open contest with the state’s  senior Sen. Richard Burr retiring.

Other races include U.S. House contests, the N.C. General Assembly, county commissions, district attorney and state and local judgeships.

Now here are five quick tips from the N.C. State Board of Elections to make voting today even easier:

• Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Voters in line at 7:30 p.m. will be able to cast a ballot.

• Find your Election Day polling place through the Voter Search or the Polling Place Search.Sample ballots are available through the Voter Search tool. Enter your first and last name to pull up your voter record, then scroll down to the “Your Sample Ballot” section.

• The State Board does not provide information about candidates for other contests, but some media outlets and advocacy groups do. Many candidates also have websites and social media accounts. Knowing your candidate choices in advance and being familiar with the ballot will help your voting experience go more quickly.

• If you are voting by mail and have not returned your ballot, you may not return your ballot to a polling site on Election Day. You may mail your ballot back or return your ballot sealed inside the completed envelope in person to your county board of elections by 5 p.m. on Election Day.  If you mail your ballot on or before Election Day, you may not vote again in person.

• Voters are not required to show photo ID to vote. See Voter ID for details.

If you still feel you need to do a little homework on candidates for the N.C. Supreme Court and N.C. Court of Appeals, a good starting point is the State Board’s Judicial Voter Guide: 2022 Primary Election.

You can find more helpful advice from the NC State Board of Elections here.

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