§ 163-82.16. Change of name.
§ 163‑82.16. Change of name.
(a) Registrant's Duty to Report. If the name of a registrantis changed in accordance with G.S. 48‑1‑104, G.S. 50‑12, orChapter 101 of the General Statutes, or if a married registrant assumes thelast name of the registrant's spouse, the registrant shall not be required tore‑register, but shall report the change of name to the county board notlater than the last day for applying to register to vote for an election inG.S. 163‑82.6. The registrant shall report the change on a formdescribed in G.S. 163‑82.3 or on a voter registration card described inG.S. 163‑82.8 or in another written statement that is signed, containsthe registrant's full names, old and new, and the registrant's currentresidence address.
(b) Verification of New Name by Mail. When a county board ofelections receives a notice of name change from a registrant in that county,the county board shall send a notice, by nonforwardable mail, to theregistrant's residence address. The notice shall state that the registrant'srecords will be changed to reflect the new name if the registrant does notrespond that the name change is incorrect. If the Postal Service returns thecounty board's notice to the registrant as undeliverable, the county boardshall send to the registrant's residence address a confirmation notice asdescribed in G.S. 163‑82.14(d)(2).
If the registrant does not respond to the confirmation notice asdescribed in G.S. 163‑82.14(d)(2), then the county board shall proceedwith the removal of the registrant from the list of voters in accordance withG.S. 163‑82.14(d).
(c) Board's Duty to Make Change. If the county board confirmsthe registrant's address in accordance with subsection (b) of this section andthe registrant does not deny making the application for the name change, thecounty board shall as soon as practical change the record of the registrant'sname to conform to that stated in the application.
(d) Unreported Name Change. A registrant who has not reporteda name change in accordance with subsection (a) of this section shall bepermitted to vote if the registrant reports the name change to the chief judgeat the voting place, or to the county board along with the voter's applicationfor an absentee ballot. (1979, c. 480; 1981, c. 33, s. 3; 1989 (Reg. Sess., 1990), c. 991, s.3; 1991 (Reg. Sess., 1992), c. 1032, s. 2; 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 762, s.2; 1995, c. 457, s. 9.)