About the League

Canvass is the process of determining that the votes have been counted and tabulated correctly, culminating in the authentication of the official election results.

This year, it’s happening in North Carolina, November 6th to the 15th.

A training on Sunday, November 3rd at 7 pm, will help you understand where election results come from and learn the pitfalls that affect voters who show up to vote, but don’t have their ballots counted due to issues with voter registration, photo ID, or absentee ballot delivery.

This training is open to anyone – League member or not! It will be of particular interest to those who volunteer as part of the League’s CBOE Monitoring Project.

The League’s 2024 Canvass Guide offers further information.

Registration is required to attend the training.

US Citizens Living in North Carolina Are Eligible to Vote

The State Board of Elections released the following statement in response to reported confusion among some naturalized citizens about their eligibility to vote.

North Carolina residents: If you are a citizen of the United States, will be at least 18 years old by Election Day, and are not serving a felony sentence, you are eligible to vote.

It does not matter if you were born a U.S. citizen or were naturalized or acquired citizenship. And it does not matter if you are a citizen, but your family members are not. Citizenship is citizenship, and it pertains to you.

The State Board of Elections welcomes all eligible voters to make their voices heard at the polls.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters should go to their assigned polling place on Election Day. To find your polling place, use the State Board’s Voter Search tool.

League members CJ Breland, Suzanne Fisher, Patricia Hearron, and Nicole Wheeler-Schumachacher were honored to witness the recent Asheville Naturalization Ceremony where 18 individuals from 10 countries became citizens and helped them compete registration forms so they could vote in the election this year.

Opinion: League of Women voters encourages NC early voting;
website has info on all races

Suzanne Fisher, Guest opinion, October 27, 2024

It is heartening to see how voters in Western North Carolina have turned out to vote. It is not easy and the League of Women Voters Asheville Buncombe County wants to encourage everyone to vote in what may be the most important election in our country’s history. Think about issues that are important to you, find out all you can about candidates, and make your voice heard.

The presidential race gets a lot of attention. But there are many other races on your ballot and we urge everyone to vote the entire ballot. The League of Women Voters VOTE411 (VOTE411.org) site works on smartphones, tablets, laptops, desk top computers; has information on how, when, where to vote in English and Spanish; provides information on all the races for your ballot; and allows you to print out your ballot to take to the polls. The League of Women Voters never endorses or opposes candidates in any race but we do advocate regarding issues.

There are 16 races on every ballot in North Carolina including a U.S. House race in all 14 Congressional Districts. At the state level we are voting for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Auditor, Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Labor and Commissioner of Insurance. There is one race for a North Carolina Supreme Court Justice and three races for Judges for the Court of Appeals. There are elections for all 120 seats in the N.C. House of Representatives and all 50 Senate seats. Decisions made by individuals holding these offices will have a direct impact on your lives, your family, your business, your future.

There is one Constitutional Amendment on every North Carolina voter’s ballot proposed by the Legislature. This states “only a citizen of the United States who is 18 years of age and otherwise possessing the qualification for voting shall be entitled to vote at any election in this State.”

This is exactly what is already required under North Carolina state law. This Amendment is designed to intimidate voters and undermine the trust in our election system. The LWV North Carolina recommends you vote against this amendment.

Further down the ballot there is more variability with voters in different jurisdictions seeing races at the county level, city level, for school board and other local bodies. People in these positions have the most influence on our day to day lives so be sure you get information about these races.

There are three ways to vote in North Carolina — absentee/mail, early voting and on Nov. 5. All require a valid Voter ID. If you do not have an approved ID you will need to fill out an Exception Form. Being a victim of a natural disaster within 100 days of the General Election Day applies to all voters in Western North Carolina.

For absentee ballots you need to have a notary or two witnesses signatures, include a copy of your Voter ID or yellow exception form and deliver it to any Board of Elections office by 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5. You turn it in to a county other than where you would vote and it will be delivered to your county.

Early voting started Oct. 17 and extends to Nov. 2 at 3 p.m. Each county sets a schedule for early voting so check with your Board of Elections or use VOTE411 for details. During early voting you can vote at any location in your county. You can also register and vote on the same day during early voting. In addition to your ID, bring proof of your residency such as a utility bill.

The last day you can vote is Nov. 5, but why wait? Polls close at 7:30 p.m. If you are in line at that time, you must be allowed to vote.

Finally, there is one more thing we can all do — encourage others to vote, tell them about VOTE411, help them with the process, go in a group and celebrate afterwards, bring your children or randchildren with you to instill the habit of voting. Voting is a duty and a privilege — do it proudly!

Suzanne Fisher, Ph.D. is a retired cell biologist whose career was at the National Institutes of Health. She is president of the Asheville-Buncombe County League of Women Voters.

BLAINESWORLD webcast, featuring Suzanne Fisher–President,
Asheville-Buncombe County League of Women Voters

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, volunteer-based, political organization consisting of women and men passionate about our democracy. Born out of the national women’s suffrage movement in 1920, the League continues to work to serve the needs of the voting public and protect the rights of all voters.

Our efforts are two-fold:
Voters Service, Citizen Education – presenting unbiased, nonpartisan information about elections, the voting process and current issues.

Action, Advocacy – following education on the issue(s), action is taken towards enacting policies in the public interest and striking down policies harmful to society.

A just society is derived from a democracy consisting of an engaged and educated public that has faith in the political process.

The League of Women Voters is a membership organization encouraging action and advocacy as a nonprofit 501(c)(4) corporation. To conduct our voter service and citizen education activities, funds are derived from the Florence Ryan Education Fund, which is a 501(c)(3) corporation, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to building citizen participation in democratic process, studying key community issues at all government levels in an unbiased manner, and enabling people to seek positive solutions to public policy issues through education and conflict management.

The League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County currently offers meetings and events for members as well as educational programs for the public. Quarterly member events include two meetings each year, a Holiday Social in winter and an Annual Luncheon & Meeting in May or June. League action teams and committees also hold regular meetings for the members involved in those groups.

Join us! Check us out on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. And check out our YouTube Channel for past meetings and voting issues we’re involved with. Our Calendar page has upcoming events. You can also read our Program Priorities and our Bylaws.

Connect with your State League: North Carolina League of Women Voters
Connect with the National League: National League of Women Voters

Our chapter is centered around Buncombe County and includes several adjoining counties. This is the homeland of the Cherokee and other nations. We recognize the sovereignty and traditional territories of these local tribal nations, the treaties used to remove them, and the histories of dispossession. We honor and respect the many diverse indigenous people who came before us, who are still here, and who are connected to the land on which we reside.