Voting Rights Watch: 20 tips for NC voters

Having trouble sorting out which of the rumors about voting you've heard are real and which are urban legends? Bob Hall at the election watchdog group Democracy North Carolina offers a list of 20 handy tips for NC voters: (NOTE: The law might be different in your state!)

1- You may wear a button, hat or shirt with a candidate's name as you quietly vote, but you may not actively draw attention to your choices.

2- You may take a list of your choices into the polling place to help you remember, but do not show the list to others or leave it behind.

3- You may vote for any candidate of your choice, regardless of the political party listed on your registration form.

4- Voting a "straight-party ticket" does not include the president; you must vote for president and nonpartisan judges separately. If you vote on a paper ballot, look on both sides.

5- You do not need an excuse to request an absentee ballot, but when you send it back, the form must include the signatures of two witnesses and their addresses.

6- You do not need to show your registration card when you go to vote.

7- New voters may need to show a form of ID when they first vote if the driver's license or Social Security number they listed on the registration form did not match government databases. Acceptable forms of ID with your name and current address include any government document (license, bill, letter, etc.), a utility bill (gas, phone, etc.), your check or bank-card statement or a payroll stub.

8- You may go to any of the Early Voting sites in your county to vote, not just the one nearest your precinct.

9- If you missed the regular deadline to register, you can still register and vote on the same day, but only at one of your county's Early Voting centers. You'll be asked to show a form of ID, such as one of those listed above. Use Same-Day Registration if you've moved or to update or change your registration.

10- You may not use Same-Day Registration on Election Day; it may be used only during the Early Voting period Oct. 16 to Nov. 1.

11-Ballots cast during Early Voting count just like those cast on Election Day.

12- The easiest time to vote, when lines are generally shortest, is in the mid-morning or early afternoon.

13- It's best to vote in your own precinct on Election Day, but you may vote in any polling place in your county. If you vote outside your assigned precinct, your choices will count only for the items that also appear on your home precinct's ballot. Some items on your home ballot, such as a particular district race, may not appear on another's precinct's ballot.

14- If your name does not appear on the registration rolls or you have any problem when you vote, you should be offered a provisional ballot; you should be given a toll-free number or Web site to learn if the ballot was counted or the reason it was not counted.

15- Members of the military and students can register at the address where they live now, even if their mailing address (or address for tax purposes) is elsewhere.

16- Felons convicted in North Carolina or another state may register and vote here after serving their full sentences, including probation. No document certifying the restoration of their citizenship rights is needed.

17- If you have an outstanding warrant, bankruptcy, traffic ticket or civil fine, you may still vote.

18- It's against the law to intentionally distribute false information about the voting process.

19- If you have problems or see suspicious activity, call the State Board of Elections at 1-866-522-4723 or the Election Protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

20- To check your registration, see a sample ballot, find your nearest Early Voting center or learn the truth behind a rumor, go to 2008ElectionConnection.com or call 1-888-687-8683.