Early voting for local elections in the Orange, Durham and Chatham county communities began on Thursday morning, helping bring the election season to a crescendo across 16 days.
The 2025 municipal election cycle features a variety of races for town council, town commissioner seats, school board seats and the title of mayor across six towns in the three counties. After filing in July and campaigning through the summer, local candidates will now see if their efforts and messaging have resonated with the electorate.
With the early voting period lasting through Saturday, Nov. 1, here is what you need to know before heading to the polls in Orange, Chatham and Durham counties.
Where Can I Vote?
Orange County
Only one site in Orange County is taking early voters for the duration of the early voting period. Orange Works in Hillsborough at 113 Mayo Street is the designated Board of Elections voting site for the cycle, and began welcoming voters from across the county on Thursday, Oct. 16. The site is open on Friday, Oct. 17 before closing for the weekend and picking up again on Monday, Oct. 20. Its weekday hours are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. — with the exception of Friday, Oct. 31 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) — with its Saturday hours on Oct. 25 and Nov. 1 running from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and its Sunday hours on Oct. 26 lasting from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The four Chapel Hill and Carrboro early voting sites will join the offerings to voters on Thursday, Oct. 23. This year, they are:
- Drakeford Library Complex (203 South Greensboro Street, Carrboro)
- Chapel Hill Public Library (100 Library Drive, Chapel Hill)
- Seymour Senior Center (2551 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill)
- Chapel of the Cross in Chapel Hill (304 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill)
Their hours will follow Orange Works’: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on all weekdays except Oct. 31, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, and 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26.
Photo via the Orange County government.
Durham County
There are a handful of voters with Chapel Hill addresses that vote in Durham County, as well as thousands of other Durhamites. Per usual, the county government is utilizing branches of the Durham Public Library as voting sites as well as the Board of Elections building and the law building on N.C. Central’s campus. They are:
- Durham County Board of Elections (3825 South Roxboro Street)
- North Regional Library (221 Milton Road)
- East Regional Library (211 Lick Creek Lane)
- South Regional Library (4505 South Alston Avenue)
- NCCU – Turner Law Building (640 Nelson Street)
Following its municipal primaries, the early voting sites for Durham’s 2025 general elections are open the entire period of Thursday, Oct. 16 through Saturday, Nov. 1. Hours on all weekdays are 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., with Saturday hours on Oct. 18 and Oct. 25 set for 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
On Sunday, Oct. 19 and Sunday, Oct. 26, all early voting sites will be open from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The final day of early voting, Saturday, Nov. 1, will have the extended hours of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Chatham County
Chatham County early voters have two sites to pick from this municipal cycle: one near downtown Pittsboro, and another on the eastern side of Jordan Lake. The Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center (1192 U.S. Highway 64 West Business in Pittsboro) is available on Thursday, Oct. 16 and Friday, Oct. 17 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. before closing for the weekend. It will then operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays — with hours extended to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30 and Friday, Oct. 31 — 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, and 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26.
Starting on Saturday, Oct. 25, the early voting site at New Hope Baptist Church (581 New Hope Church Road in Apex) will be active. Its hours are as follows:
- Saturday, Oct. 25: 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Sunday, Oct. 26: 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Monday, Oct. 27: 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Tuesday, Oct. 28: 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, Oct. 29: 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 30: 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Friday, Oct. 31: 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 1: 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Do I Need an ID to Vote?
Yes, you will need to show a photo ID in order to vote according to North Carolina law.
Acceptable photo IDs include: driver’s licenses; passports; military IDs; student and employee IDs from UNC, Durham Tech and NC Central; student IDs from Duke; and employee IDs from Orange County, Durham County, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough. You can also receive a free photo ID from your county elections office.
Click here for a full list of acceptable photo IDs.
Even if you show up to vote without a photo ID, you will still be able to vote – but then to confirm your vote, you’ll have to bring a valid photo ID to your county elections office by 5 p.m. on the ninth day after Election Day (which is Thursday, November 13). You can also sign a Photo ID Exception Form if there’s a reasonable impediment keeping you from providing a valid photo ID. This would apply, for example, if you have a religious objection to being photographed, or if you were the victim of a recent natural disaster.
How Can I See Wait Times?
If you are worried about wait times when going to vote, Orange County is running an early vote wait-time tool, which can be accessed here. Durham County has its own website as well, which can be found here.
Where Can I Learn More?
The Orange County, Durham County and Chatham County websites have more information that could be helpful to voters and residents during the general election cycle.
Click here for the Orange County elections site.
Click here for the Durham County elections site.
Click here for the Chatham County elections site.
Additionally, Orange County voters can text 919-246-8773 at any time to ask questions before they head to the polls.
You can also find more voter resources and information on the North Carolina Board of Elections website.
Stay up to date on local election news by visiting the Local Elections page on Chapelboro.com, where you’ll be able to read all our election coverage including introductions to the local candidates.
Featured image via AP Photo/Michael Conroy.
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