N.C. Republicans push major election law changes
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How North Carolinians vote in 2024 may be a far cry from previous elections under a wide-ranging elections bill advancing in the state legislature.
Driving the news: Senate Republicans unveiled legislation proposing a host of changes to state election law last week, including new and more stringent requirements for absentee voting and same-day registration.
Why it matters: The bill, if ushered into law, would saddle election officials with changes to address and few resources to do so at a moment when some are scrambling to implement new voter identification laws ahead of the next election.
- Critics say the legislation could disenfranchise voters, while supporters say it would help restore trust in elections.
Details: Among the most significant changes in the bill is a new requirement that election boards only count absentee ballots received by Election Day. Under current law, the deadline is three days after the election.
- The bill would also require that those registering and voting on the same day cast a provisional ballot.
The legislation would also:
- Prohibit the State Board of Elections and counties from accepting private donations to conduct elections
- Require election records be kept for a minimum of 22 months
- Allow any voter to file a challenge to any absentee ballots cast in their county
- Mandate that witnesses signing absentee ballots also print their names
- Require the state elections board implement a to-be-determined two-factor authentication process and use signature verification software for absentee ballots
Catch up quick: The state Supreme Court issued two major election rulings in April, striking down one law that permits felons who are no longer incarcerated to cast ballots and upholding another that requires voter identification at the polls.
- Coming into compliance with the new voter ID law will require training poll workers, printing new absentee ballots, creating new administrative rules and informing voters of the change — all of which require more, time, people and money, the News & Observer reported last week.
- “It’s not an immediate turn of the switch,” state election board executive director Karen Brinson Bell told the N&O.
The big picture: Those aren't the only election changes to come this year. Redistricting, which will set the stage for the 2024 election, is also around the corner.
- The Republican-led legislature will redraw political districts in the coming months, which could shift the political makeup of both the state legislature and congress.
Worth noting: Former Trump attorney Cleta Mitchell, who was involved in the former president's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, met with Republican lawmakers in recent weeks about election changes, WRAL first reported.
- Those lawmakers say they had the ultimate say on what would be in the bill, according to WRAL.
What's next: The legislation is still in its early stages. It must pass numerous committees along with the House and Senate floors, where it could change.
- Republican leaders are also hashing out a compromise on a budget for the next two fiscal years, which could allocate funding for the state board to implement changes like voter ID.