By Josh Bergeron

josh.bergeron@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Election day isn’t until Nov. 8, but Rowan voters who don’t want to wait can get their ballots sooner.

Voting by absentee mail-in ballot starts Friday, when the Rowan County Board of Elections will start sending out ballots. So far, the local elections office has more than 300 requests pending for mail-in absentee ballots.

If this year’s election is anything like 2012, when 62,752 people voted in Rowan, thousands of voters in the county will cast mail-in absentee ballots. Rowan Elections Specialist Laura Russell said more than 3,000 people cast mail-in absentee ballots in the 2012 general election.

To request a mail-in absentee ballot, voters must complete the state’s request form. The form can be obtained at the Board of Elections office, on the Rowan County Board of Elections’ website or mailed to voters by the local elections office. Russell said the Rowan County Republican and Democratic parties also have absentee mail-in ballot request forms at their offices in Salisbury. The Democratic Party’s headquarters is located at 1504 West Innes St. The Republican Party’s headquarters is located at 628 N. Main St.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Nov. 1

Once voters submit requests and receive ballots, two witnesses need to sign the forms. Russell said voters will need to write their drivers license number or social security number on absentee ballots. Voters will not need to show any form of photo identification to election officials in order to cast absentee ballots.

The deadline to submit ballots is 5 p.m. on election day — Nov. 8. The local board of elections can also accept ballots that are postmarked by election day.

For any questions about voting in Rowan County, contact the local board of elections at 704-216-8140. The Rowan County Board of Elections office is located at West End Plaza, 1935 Jake alexander Blvd W Suite D10. The actual entrance to the Rowan County Board of Elections office sits adjacent to Badcock Furniture.

Elections included on Rowan ballots for the November general elections will include the following:

• U.S. President

• U.S. Senate

• U.S. House of Representatives (either the 8th District or 13th District)

• Governor

• Lieutenant Governor

• Attorney General

• Auditor

• Commissioner of Agriculture

• Commissioner of Insurance

• Commissioner of Labor

• N.C. Secretary of State

• Superintendent of Public Instruction

• Treasurer

• State Senate (only the 25th District is competitive)

• State House (neither district in Rowan is competitive)

• Rowan County Board of Commissioners (four candidates are running and three seats are open)

• N.C. Supreme Court

• N.C. Court of Appeals

• N.C. District Court Judge District 19C (the race isn’t competitive)

• Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education seats 3, 5 and 7

• Rowan County Soil and Water Conservation District (only one candidate is running)

Contact reporter Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246