Raleigh, NC. North Carolina voters who participated in the 2026 midterm election have several resources to check and ensure their vote counted.
Voters can view the instructions below to check the status of their ballot, depending on which voting method they used.
Also, the video at the following link walks voters through the process of checking whether their vote counted: “Did My Vote Count? How to Check That Your Vote Counted in North Carolina: 2026 General Election.”
If You Voted in Person During the Early Voting Period
When you inserted your ballot into a tabulator at your voting site, a memory device recorded your selections. These results were counted and reported publicly after polls closed on election night.
If you voted at an early voting site, the Voter Search database will show whether your vote was recorded. Simply search for your record on the Voter Search tool and scroll down to the “Your Ballot: By Mail or Early Voting” section. If you voted early, your “Voting Method” will be “EARLY VOTING,” your “Ballot Status” will show “VALID RETURN,” and your “Vote Status” will be “ACCEPTED.” Typically, these statuses update the day after you cast your ballot at an early voting site.
The “Your Voter History” section of your voter record also shows when you voted. Your county board of elections updates that section after each election, as it assigns voter history to voters’ records. This may take a couple of weeks or longer after the election.
If You Voted in Person on Election Day
When you inserted your ballot into a tabulator, a memory device recorded your selections. These results were counted and reported publicly on election night.
For further confirmation that your ballot counted, use the Voter Search tool.
Your ballot status will show up in the “Your Voter History” section as soon as your county completes the post-election process of assigning voter history to your record. The “Voted Method” will be “IN-PERSON ELECTION DAY.” This may take a couple of weeks or longer after the election.
Please note that your county board will complete this process as soon as possible amid other tasks, including post-election audits and certification of the results.
If You Voted Absentee by Mail (Including Military, Overseas, and Visually Impaired Voters Who Submitted Their Ballot Electronically)
Once your ballot is received by your county board, you can find that your vote counted in the “Your Ballot: By Mail or Early Voting” section of the Voter Search tool. The “Voting Method” will be “ABSENTEE BY MAIL,” the “Ballot Status” will show “VALID RETURN,” and the “Vote Status” will be “ACCEPTED”, “ACCEPTED – CURED”, or “ACCEPTED – EXCEPTION.”
Your ballot status will also show up in the “Voter History” section as soon as your county assigns voter history to your record. This may take a couple of weeks or longer.
If You Cast a Provisional Ballot
You will be able to check the status of your ballot after the election through the Provisional Search tool. You must fill out all four fields on the form, including the PIN given to you at the voting site when you voted provisionally.
What Is Voter History?
Voter history is a record that you voted in a particular election, not how you marked your ballot. Voter history includes the election date, the voting method, and your county. For primary elections, it also includes which political party’s primary you voted in (Republican, Democratic, nonpartisan, etc.). It will not show who you voted for. That is always confidential.