In-person early voting ends Saturday, Nov. 2 at 3 p.m., but voters will still have one last opportunity to cast their ballots on Election Day — Tuesday, Nov. 5. 

Voting is going to look a bit different in North Carolina this year thanks to new partisan observers who will be eyeing voters as they cast ballots when in-person early voting kicks off in October. The new observers are touted as a way to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.

The Swain County Board of Elections host an educational seminar on North Carolina’s photo ID requirement for voting. 

Fears that North Carolina’s new voter ID implementation would disenfranchise legitimate voters have proven unfounded — at least in Haywood County, where municipal election turnout was stronger than usual. 

The issue of requiring voters to present identification at the polls before casting a ballot has been contentious in North Carolina — with competing claims that it would disproportionately affect minorities and crack down on nearly non-existent voter fraud in the state — but like it or not, it’s now the law of the land, and now voters of all political persuasions need to do their homework to ensure they’re not left without a voice.