North Carolina
North Carolina Elections Board Approves Stricter Measures for Absentee Ballots Ahead of 2026 Midterms
The North Carolina State Board of Elections approved on Monday a measure to disqualify certain absentee ballots ahead of the 2026 midterms. Members voted 3-2 along party lines. The measure allows county elections board staff to take further action on…
Key points
- The NC State Board of Elections approved a measure to disqualify absentee ballots with irregularities.
- Republicans believe this will enhance election security, while Democrats argue it could disenfranchise voters.
- Pending approval from the Rules Review Commission, these changes could affect upcoming elections.
NewsWK — The North Carolina State Board of Elections has approved a new regulation that may affect absentee voting as the state approaches the 2026 midterm elections. The board voted 3-2 along party lines to allow county election officials to disqualify certain absentee ballots that exhibit irregularities.
Examples of these irregularities include improperly sealed ballots or the use of incorrect envelopes. Under this new measure, election staff are required to contact voters regarding any issues, but if no corrective action is taken, the ballots could be discarded.
Supporters of the measure, primarily Republican board members, argue that it will bolster election security. In contrast, Democratic members have raised concerns that the changes could disenfranchise legitimate voters and may be implemented with political bias. Democratic board member Siobhan Millen expressed her concerns, stating, “I think it’s confusing. We’re going to lose perfectly sound ballots due to over-fussiness.” Republican board member Angela Hawkins defended the measure, asserting that it is not overly strict and that voters can reach out to local election boards for guidance if they are uncertain about the absentee voting process. Hawkins emphasized, “If the General Assembly wants to change it, then that’s fine.”
Additionally, last week, the board voted to make it easier to disqualify ballots from voters who fail to provide photo identification. This rule change would allow a majority vote among board members to dismiss a ballot if they believe a voter is providing false information regarding their ID status, a shift from the current requirement for bipartisan consensus.
These changes are pending approval from North Carolina’s Rules Review Commission, which is composed of Republican appointees.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
Based on reporting by Christine Zhu originally published by Stateline. Read the original story.
