§ 163-302. Absentee voting.
§ 163‑302. Absentee voting.
(a) In any municipal election, including a primary or generalelection or referendum, conducted by the county board of elections, absenteevoting may, upon resolution of the municipal governing body, be permitted. Suchresolution must be adopted no later than 60 days prior to an election in orderto be effective for that election. Any such resolution shall remain effectivefor all future elections unless repealed no later than 60 days before anelection. A copy of all resolutions adopted under this section shall be filedwith the State Board of Elections and the county board of elections conductingthe election within 10 days of passage in order to be effective. Absenteevoting shall not be permitted in any municipal election unless such election isconducted by the county board of elections. In addition, absentee voting shallbe allowed in any referendum on incorporation of a municipality.
(b) The provisions of Articles 20 and 21 of this Chapter shallapply to absentee voting in municipal elections, special district elections,and other elections for an area less than an entire county other than electionsfor the General Assembly, except that the earliest date by which absenteeballots shall be required to be available for absentee voting in such electionsshall be 30 days prior to the primary or election or as quickly following thefiling deadline specified in G.S. 163‑291(2) or G.S. 163‑294.2(c)as the county board of elections is able to secure the official ballots. Inelections on incorporation of a municipality not held at the same time asanother election in the same area, the county board of elections shall adopt aspecial schedule of meetings of the county board of elections to approveabsentee ballot applications so as to reduce the cost of the process, and tofurther implement the last paragraph of G.S. 163‑230(2)a. If noapplication has been received since the last meeting, no meeting shall be heldof the county board of elections under such schedule unless the meeting is scheduledfor another purpose. If another election is being held in the same area on thesame day, or elsewhere in the county, the cost of per diem for meetings of thecounty board of elections to approve absentee ballots shall not be considered acost of the election to be billed to the municipality being created. (1971, c. 835, s. 1; 1975, c. 370, s. 1; c. 836; 1977,c. 475, s. 1; 1983, c. 324, s. 6; 1991 (Reg. Sess., 1992), c. 933, s. 1.)