NC may make it easier to throw out ballots over missing ID. How you can weigh in
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Proposed rule would let a simple majority of county board members disqualify ID exception.
- Proposed absentee rule requires county staff to review ballots for deficiencies within.
- Proposed recount rule requires four-person bipartisan hand-to-eye teams and three days.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections is considering a series of changes to the rules surrounding voter ID, absentee ballots and conduct at polling sites.
Over the next two months, the board will be accepting public comment on the proposed changes online and in public hearings.
Here’s everything you need to know about the proposed rules and how you can weigh in:
Voter ID rule
One of the proposed rules would make it easier for county boards of elections to disqualify ballots cast by voters who did not provide photo identification.
Under current law, North Carolina voters who do not bring a photo ID to the polls are able to fill out an exception form and cast a provisional ballot. County boards of elections, which are made up of three Republicans and two Democrats, are required to count those ballots unless they unanimously agree that the information on the exception form is false.
Under the proposed rule, the threshold for discarding a ballot would decrease to a simple majority — meaning three members could decide to disqualify a vote.
The rule would require the board to issue a written decision “based only on facts and not speculation” explaining its reasoning. The board would also be required to give the affected voter notice and an opportunity to address the board and defend their ballot.
The State Board of Elections will accept in-person public comments on this proposed rule on June 9 at 2 p.m. at its office in the Dobbs Building, which is located at 430 N. Salisbury St. in Raleigh.
Absentee voting rule
Another proposed rule formalizes the process by which absentee ballots are reviewed and specifies under which circumstances they can be disqualified or fixed when there are irregularities.
The staff of county boards of elections would be required to review an absentee ballot for any deficiencies or irregularities within one business day of receiving it.
Some deficiencies would be considered “curable,” meaning a voter could fix the issue and have their ballot counted. Other issues would be deemed “non-curable” and result in the disqualification of the ballot — though the voter would still be able to cast a new, corrected absentee ballot or vote in-person.
Examples of curable deficiencies would include a voter signing their ballot in the wrong place or failing to submit a photo ID. Once these irregularities are identified, the affected voter would be contacted and asked to provide documentation to cure their ballot.
Examples of non-curable deficiencies would include an unsealed or opened ballot envelope, a signature that does not match the name of the voter or the lack of a required witness or notary. These ballots would be disqualified, and the voter would be informed of their remaining options to participate in the election.
The State Board of Elections will accept in-person public comments on this proposed rule on June 22 at 10 a.m. at its office in the Dobbs Building, which is located at 430 N. Salisbury St. in Raleigh.
Polling site conduct rule
The next proposed rule would establish certain restrictions on conduct at voting sites.
The use of any amplified sound, such as speakers or bullhorns, would be banned outside voting sites.
Poll site judges would be empowered to remove any sound amplification devices as well as any person making noise outside the voting site that is audible indoors.
The State Board of Elections will accept in-person public comments on this proposed rule on June 29 at 10 a.m. at its office in the Dobbs Building, which is located at 430 N. Salisbury St. in Raleigh.
Recount rule
The last proposed rule would amend the process for recounting election results.
It would require that the bipartisan teams of four which conduct recounts by hand include at least one member from each of the two most popular parties in the state: Republicans and Democrats. All members of the team would be required to wear identification during the recount.
The rule would also state that machine recounts must be conducted by a bipartisan team of two officials per tabulator. If a ballot is rejected by the tabulating machine, officials would be required to either count the ballot by hand or duplicate the voter’s choices onto a blank ballot.
Lastly, the rule would give election officials three business days to schedule a hand recount upon receiving a request. Currently, the deadline is two days.
The State Board of Elections will accept in-person public comments on this proposed rule on June 8 at 10 a.m. at its office in the Dobbs Building, which is located at 430 N. Salisbury St. in Raleigh.
How do I share my public comment online?
In addition to the in-person hearings listed above, those interested in sharing public comment can also do so by email, online or by mail until July 14.
Emails can be directed to rulemaking.sboe@ncsbe.gov. The board notes that the commenter should specify the specific rule being commented on.
Each proposed rule also has a public comment portal on the board’s website. The links to each portal are included below:
The board will also accept public comments mailed to the following address: Attn: Rulemaking Coordinator, P.O. Box 27255, Raleigh, NC 27611-7255.
