On Thursday, October 20, early voting started in North Carolina and will continue until November 5, 2022. I like early voting because it helps me avoid lines and do my civic duty. By the time you read these words, my wife Sandra and I will have voted. Of course, election day is November 8 this year.

Lenoir County has six early voting sites: the Georgia Battle Center at 401 Lincoln Street; the Kinston Community Center at 2602 W. Vernon Avenue; the LaGrange Frink Alumni Association Cultural Center at 5766 Aldridge Store Road in LaGrange; Lenoir County Cooperative Extension Service on 1791 NC Hwy11-55; Martin C. Freeman Center on 500 Marcella Drive; and the Neuse Regional Library on 510 N. Queen Street.

Hours for early voting Monday through Friday are 8 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. Early voting on Saturday, October 22, and Saturday, November 5, will be held from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. On Sunday, October 30, polling sites will be open from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. No polling places will be available on Sunday, October 24, and Saturday, October 29.

Sample ballots are available through the Voter Search tool. Knowing your candidate choices in advance will help your voting experience go more quickly. Sample ballots are also available at the Lenoir County Board of Elections at 110-C South Herritage Street in downtown Kinston. You can also find sample ballots for Lenoir, Jones, and Greene counties here on Neuse News.

Individuals who missed the regular voter registration deadline will be allowed to register and vote simultaneously during the early voting period. Same-day registrants must attest to their eligibility and provide proof of where they live. Individuals who missed the regular voter registration deadline may not register to vote by mail using absentee ballots. Their only option is to register in person at an early voting site.

Voters are strongly encouraged to wear masks, use hand sanitizer, and adhere to social distancing guidelines at the polling place.

Voters who receive an absentee ballot by mail may deliver their completed ballot to an election official at an early voting site in their county. Ballots will be secured and delivered to the county board of elections for processing. 

Voters who requested an absentee ballot but have not yet returned it may vote in person during the early voting period or on Election Day. Voters may discard the by-mail ballot and do not need to bring it to a voting site.

To avoid long lines, voters should remember that the busiest early voting days are typically the first and last days of early voting. Voters may find shorter lines during regular business hours.

The State Board of Elections asks all voters to respect the rights of others to participate in the election. Intimidating any voter is a crime. Voters who feel harassed or intimidated should notify an election official immediately.

Voters at one-stop early voting sites are entitled to the same assistance as voters at a voting place on Election Day. Curbside voting is available for eligible individuals at all early voting sites.

North Carolina law prohibits photographing or videotaping voted ballots. Voters may use electronic devices in the voting booth to access a slate card or candidate information, provided they do not use the devices to communicate with anyone or take photographs of their ballot.

Voting is both a right and a civic responsibility. With the availability of mail-in absentee voting, early voting, and election-day voting, no citizen has any excuse for not expressing his or her will through the ballot box.

I firmly believe that those who do not vote should not complain about election outcomes – or about the consequences arising from those outcomes. If you do not vote, then you become part of the problem.

Sandra and I voted early at the Neuse Regional Library during the primary. The election officials working there were professional and courteous. We had no wait time and were in and out in less than 10 minutes.

Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.