New NC State Board of Elections Continues To Undermine Voting Rights

The NC State Board of Elections (NCSBE) is trying to make voting more difficult by changing the rules that govern challenges to citizens attempting to cast their votes. This after the Republican power-grab that flipped control of the board in 2024. Changes to rules include allowing local boards of elections to reject ballots on a 3-2 party-line split, and requiring the rejection of absentee-by-mail votes with minor technical errors.

“Corrosive Party Politics” in Our Elections

“The proposed rules would hurt North Carolina voters. Taken together, the proposed changes would inject corrosive party politics into the vote-counting process; silence constitutionally protected speech and leave voters less safe at the polls; and make mail-in absentee voting more difficult, especially for older voters, college students, rural residents, and voters with disabilities who rely on absentee voting,” said Sailor Jones, State Director of Common Cause North Carolina. “The changes are unnecessary, reckless, and burdensome to voters and election administrators, without improving our election system in any way. And in some cases, the rules invite partisan pressure to take priority over fair process. Partisanship has no business in the counting of eligible voters’ ballots. It’s especially concerning that these new rules are being considered so close to a major election, without enough time to fully inform the public about significant changes to the voting process.” 

In a statement, Democracy NC described the change in rules regarding absentee ballots: “The proposed rule would change how county boards handle absentee ballots returned with minor, innocent mistakes. Right now, if a ballot arrives in a sealed outer envelope, county boards can count it, no questions asked. Under the proposed rules, three common mistakes would now require voters to submit written confirmation by noon on the Friday after Election Day or lose their vote: forgetting to seal the inner ballot envelope, placing the ballot in the wrong envelope, or two voters at the same address accidentally swapping their ballots into each other’s envelopes.” 

See more information on each proposed rule change, example public comments, and links to the public comment submissions page. 

Protecting Our Voting Rights

NCLCV advocates against rule changes which add pointless additional hurdles to the voting process. “We all want a fair and free democracy. These changes go in the complete opposite direction,” said NCLCV Executive Director Carrie Clark. “We should make it easier for citizens to vote, not harder. It’s only by encouraging North Carolinians to vote that the public can hold their elected representatives accountable, and replace them if they value polluter profits more than protecting public health and our natural resources, clean air, and clean water.”