Ensure Your Vote Counts on November 3, 2026

 By Mildred Robertson

As the 2026 midterms approach, many Americans will tune in to the political battle immediately following the Labor Day holiday. Voting should be easy, but the fact is that we may have to struggle to cast our vote in 2026. However, we cannot be daunted or intimidated as we work to ensure that our voices are heard.

The Trump administration has gone to great lengths to try to make the process as confusing as possible, eliminating voting locations, decreasing ballot drop-off sites, gerrymandering voting districts and attacking the mail-in ballot process. The goal is to inject confusion into the process in the hope that many voters, particularly minority voters, will be frustrated enough not to participate in the election.

That tactic, however, will not prevail if voters are proactive in their preparation for the November 3^rd election. Every voter should have a plan on how they will ensure that their vote is both cast and counted.

In North Carolina, a key state in this year’s midterm, election boards across the state will begin to mail out absentee ballots on September 4 to voters who requested them. In-person early voting runs from October 15 through October 31.  Voters will cast their ballots at their designated precinct on election day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026. All those options are open to every North Carolinian. Each of us should assume the responsibility of making sure we are prepared to cast our vote in a way that cannot be challenged.

Each voter should contact their county board of elections to ensure that their name is still listed as active. Reasons you may be suspended or purged from the roll is if you have moved since the last election. You also might fall into this category if your name has changed since you last voted. This is particularly important for women who may have changed their name due to marriage or divorce. If your name has been suspended or purged for any reason, you can submit an updated voter registration form through the DMV website or your county registrar.

Another tactic by the Trump administration is to eliminate or change voting locations. You may have voted at the same location for years and find that that location is no longer a voting site.  So, make sure when you check your registration that you also check your voting location. If you do end up at the wrong site on November 3, let the official know that you are not in your precinct and want to vote using a provisional ballot.  The best way to ensure that your vote is cast and counted is to have a plan:

• Know when and where you are going to vote.
• Know where the ballot drop-off locations are.
• Know where the early voting locations are.
• Plan your transportation to the voting location.
• If you are going to mail in a ballot, do so in a timely fashion to ensure that it will arrive in time to be counted.

You can go online for status notifications through BallotTrax, which is available 30 days prior to the election.

This may be the most consequential election of your lifetime. Make sure you are prepared. Make sure you are involved. Make sure your vote counts on November 3, 2026.