Voting from Jail or Detention in Pitt County: Your Rights and How to Register

In North Carolina, the key eligibility line for many people in detention is this: when you sign the voter registration form, you must attest that you are not currently serving a felony sentence - including probation, post-release supervision, or parole. If you are being held pretrial (not yet convicted) or you are otherwise not serving a current felony sentence, that attestation may still be true for you, even while you’re in custody. You also have to meet the basic registration requirements: you must be a U.S. citizen, and you must be at least 18 years old by the election. If you’re not 18 yet, North Carolina allows preregistration starting at age 16 so you’re set up to vote once you’re eligible.

The voter registration form has to be signed by the person applying - no one else can sign it for them. And for a new registration in the person’s county of residence, the form must be submitted with the applicant’s original signature (or mark). This matters if you’re helping someone from the outside: you can fill in information with them, but the detained voter has to be the one who signs.

The registration application asks for an address that is not a P.O. Box. In other words, it’s looking for a residential address in the address field. If someone is currently detained, you’ll still want to think in terms of their residential address information for that part of the form, rather than using a P.O. Box in the residential-address line.

North Carolina’s registration form also asks for identification numbers. If the applicant has an NC driver’s license or an NCDMV ID number, they must provide it. If they don’t have one, they must provide the last four digits of their Social Security number. If the person is registering to vote for the first time in North Carolina and they have none of those ID numbers, the form directs them to check the box indicating they don’t have these forms of identification. When that box is checked, they may attach a copy of another document that shows their name and address - examples listed include a current and valid photo ID, a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document showing name and address.

If the person you’re helping doesn’t have an NC driver’s license or NCDMV ID, the form tells them to use the last four digits of their Social Security number instead. If they’re a first-time registrant in North Carolina and they don’t have either of those identifiers, they’ll need to check the box that says they don’t have them - and they may attach another document that shows their name and address (the form lists options like a current and valid photo ID, a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or another government document with name and address). Address can be another sticking point from detention. The application’s address field requires a residential address and specifically says it cannot be a P.O. Box, so you’ll want to be prepared with the person’s residential address information for that line, even if mail needs to go somewhere else.

Questions about registering or voting from detention? Contact the Pitt County Board of Elections. Mailing address: PO BOX 56, Greenville, NC 27835. Phone: 252-902-3300.

Supporter Checklist

• ✓ Confirm the person can truthfully attest they are not currently serving a felony sentence (including probation, post-release supervision, or parole).
• ✓ Confirm they meet basic eligibility: U.S. citizen and 18 by the election (or 16+ to preregister).
• ✓ Make sure the registration form is signed by the applicant - only the applicant may sign, and a new registration needs the applicant’s original signature.
• ✓ Gather a residential address for the address field (the form says this address is not a P.O. Box).
• ✓ Collect the required ID number: NC driver’s license/NCDMV ID or, if none, the last four digits of the Social Security number.
• ✓ If they’re a first-time registrant in North Carolina and have none of those ID numbers, have them check the box saying they don’t have them and consider attaching another document showing name and address (such as a current and valid photo ID, utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document).
• ✓ Watch the absentee timeline: the absentee ballot request form must be returned to the county board of elections by 5 p.m. on the second Tuesday before the election.
• ✓ When you hit a snag, call the Pitt County Board of Elections at 252-902-3300 or mail questions/forms to PO BOX 56, Greenville, NC 27835.