Letters to voters, a meeting with the FBI and more in the run-up to NC’s primary
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- State Board mailed 241,000 voters letters about possible registration issues.
- Letters omitted eligibility info, prompting hundreds of calls and office visits.
- State now says letters only update records and won’t stop normal voting.
Good morning! I’m Kyle Ingram, here with Friday’s Under the Dome newsletter.
North Carolina’s primary election is less than two weeks away and there’s been no shortage of voting news in the run-up. Here’s a look at what we’ve been covering:
Registration letter sparks concern
Roughly 241,000 North Carolina voters received a letter from the State Board of Elections in recent weeks informing them that there may be issues with their registration information.
The letter, which neglected to say that the issues wouldn’t affect the recipient’s eligibility, prompted hundreds of calls and visits to election offices from concerned voters, who worried that their vote may not count in the March 3 primary.
The state has since assured recipients that it’s only attempting to update their records, and the discrepancies will not prevent them from casting a normal ballot.
If you received one of the letters, you can find more information on how to respond to it in our story.
NC election officials to meet with FBI
Next week, North Carolina’s top election officials will meet with the FBI and other federal agencies for a nationwide briefing on the midterm elections.
The invitation went out earlier this month to election officials in every state and says that, in preparation for the 2026 elections, the FBI, the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security will “discuss our preparations for the cycle, as well as updates and resources we can provide to you and your staff.”
It’s not unheard of for states to receive guidance from federal agencies ahead of an election, but NBC News reported that at least one official who was invited called the invitation “unusual and unexpected.”
The meeting is set for the afternoon of Feb. 25.
N&O Voter Guide now available
Want to learn more about candidates before you head to the polls?
The News & Observer has asked candidates to answer questionnaires in all state and federal races in North Carolina on the primary ballot, and published their answers.
Together with The Charlotte Observer, we asked questions about the economy, health care, immigration and biographical details of over 200 candidates running for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, N.C. Court of Appeals and the state legislature.
Our full voter guide can be found here.
Our latest podcast
On the most recent episode of our Under the Dome politics podcast, our reporters talked about how a meeting of the state House oversight committee about public safety turned into a grilling of Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden.
Host Dawn Vaughan talks with Charlotte Observer politics reporter Mary Ramsey about the fallout.
Plus what to watch as primary early voting is underway, and Vaughan and Ramsey’s picks for Headliner of the Week.
Thanks for reading Under the Dome
That’s all for today, but we hope to see you right back here on Sunday. Ideas or feedback about our Under the Dome newsletter? Email our politics team at dome@newsobserver.com.
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