North Carolina mail-in ballot restrictions to remain through midterms, judge rules
The judge said the new signature and envelope rules are modest and will stay in place as more than 40,000 people have already voted by mail.
- On Monday, District Judge Thomas Schroeder denied a request to block new North Carolina mail-in ballot rules, maintaining signature verification and inner envelope requirements for the midterm elections.
- The North Carolina Alliance for Retired Americans, North Carolina Asian Americans Together, and Down Home North Carolina sued the North Carolina State Board of Elections, arguing the new regulations create undue burdens that could disenfranchise voters.
- Schroeder called the plaintiffs' 18-day delay "significant" and noted implementation is infeasible as early voting has already begun. He described the new requirements as "modest", adding voters have alternative options to cast ballots.
- Over 40,000 North Carolina residents have already cast mail-in ballots, while nearly 150,000 absentee ballots have been requested. Local election boards have begun spoiling ballots failing to meet the new standards.
- Citing US Supreme Court guidance, Schroeder noted that lower courts should not alter election rules "on the eve of an election", emphasizing the voting process is already underway through early voting.
9 Articles
9 Articles
Exclusive: Thousands of North Carolina ballots set to be rejected after GOP imposed strict new rules, data shows
If 3% of mail ballots statewide end up being rejected, it would lead to an estimated 3,942 ballots being thrown out, Democracy Docket calculated. Those voters would be disenfranchised unless they come back to cure them — something few voters end up doing.
North Carolina mail-in ballot restrictions to remain through midterms, judge rules
A federal judge ruled Monday that North Carolina is permitted to keep its strict mail-in ballot rules in place for November’s election, which were changed just before ballots were mailed in September. In the ruling, Judge Thomas D. Shroeder wrote that it was too close to the election to change the rules again, and that plaintiffs waited too long to file their motion.
Federal judge sides with GOP on NC's mail-in ballot changes
A federal judge on Monday denied an attempt to block stricter standards for mail-in ballots in North Carolina, marking a blow to Democratic-affiliated efforts to reverse Republican-backed changes to the election process made earlier this year. Last month, the North Carolina State Board of Elections approved several changes to voting that it said were aimed […]
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 63% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
