Board of Elections introduces online ballot tracking tool

RALEIGH, N.C. (WWAY) — The State Board of Elections has introduced a new online service to help voters track the status of their absentee ballot.

BallotTrax launched Friday, September 11, and is available through links on the State Board of Elections’ website. It is one of three ways voters who cast their ballot by mail in North Carolina can ensure their ballot has been received by the county board of elections, without leaving their homes.

“BallotTrax allows North Carolina voters to keep tabs on their mail-in absentee ballot from the comfort of their home,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “By tracking their ballot, the voter can have peace of mind that their ballot was received by their county board of elections.”

The move comes as President Donald Trump has shined a spotlight on the mail-in voting process. President Trump has encouraged voters to request an absentee ballot and vote but then also physically show up to their local polling place on Election Day and vote in person. His theory is that the vote in-person would count and the previously submitted absentee ballot would then be discarded.

Attorney General Josh Stein, in a statement Saturday, urged voters to “not do what the president directs,” because voting twice is a felony. AG Stein recommended voting early and using BallotTrax in his statement.

The State Board of Elections says that BallotTrax allows voters with valid absentee ballot requests to create an account to view the status of their absentee by-mail request and ballot. This includes confirmation that the county board of elections has received the request, that the ballot has been mailed to the voter and that the completed ballot has been received by the county board of elections.

The State Board of Elections also says that the new application will allow voters to “learn if their ballot cannot be accepted because of issues such as a missing signature or witness information.” If this occurs, the county board of elections will provide information to the voter on how to correct the issue.

There are two other ways voters can determine the status of their ballot. The first is to use the State Board’s “Voter Search Tool,” which will display when the ballot is accepted by the county board of elections.

Voters can also contact their county board of elections directly to ask about the status of a ballot.