North Carolina Republicans force mail-in ballot rule change hours before sending them out

The GOP-majority North Carolina Board of Elections approved stricter rules for mail-in ballots Friday, just hours before the state became the first in the country to begin sending ballots for the midterm elections.The State Board of Elections voted along party lines to direct county officials to reject certain absentee ballots for certain errors that previously would not have prevented a vote from being counted. Republican board members said the changes are necessary to enforce state election law, while Democrats warned they could bar otherwise eligible voters from casting their ballots.The biggest change involves problems with the envelope used to return a ballot. In some cases, county officials previously had more flexibility to accept a ballot when it was clear which voter had cast it, despite an error with the envelope or paperwork. Under the new guidance, election officials are instructed not to count ballots returned with an unsealed inner envelope or when required signatures do not match. Additionally, only the voters themselves or their near relative or legal guardian may return a ballot for it to be cast.“This is simply guidance, updated guidance, I might add, as to what the board and staff at the county level will do and how they will process things,” said Stacy Eggers, a Republican board member.The changes came after proposed permanent absentee voting rules hit a procedural roadblock. The state Rules Review Commission approved a package of rules in July, but objections triggered a legislative review that prevented some of them from taking place before the November elections, as state lawmakers will not return until after voters head to the polls.The NCSBE, which is composed of three Republicans and two Democrats, instead moved Friday to implement portions of the policy through memos to county election officials.Democratic member Siobhan Millen said the new rules risk disenfranchising otherwise eligible voters.“It may not affect you as you’re filling it out, but it affects whether your ballot counts — that’s huge,” she said. “So, an effort to say this is just a process thing, I think is incorrect.”Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC) also criticized the decision and accused the board of circumventing the normal rulemaking.WHAT TO KNOW AS TRUMP AND VANCE HEADLINE FIRST-EVER GOP MIDTERM CONVENTION“The State Board’s decision is a slap in the face to voters who stood up to these changes and a blatant circumvention of the law,” Stein said on social media. “North Carolina voters deserve transparency in their elections, not last-minute workarounds that could keep their vote from counting. I will continue to stand up for voters’ access to the ballot box.”North Carolina’s 100 county election boards began sending absentee ballots Friday to open the 2026 general election. The state requires completed civilian absentee ballots to reach county officials by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3.