June 2, 2020

A group of bipartisan legislators filed a bill last week that would mitigate certain election-related challenges caused by COVID-19. Only five percent of North Carolinians currently vote by mail using absentee ballots, but the state is planning for an increase this year due to the coronavirus.

The bill gives the State Board of Elections and county boards the flexibility and resources needed to accommodate the expected increase in absentee ballot requests. Most of the changes in the bill are only temporary, and will expire in December 2020. The bill passed in the House last week with overwhelming support, and is being voted on in the Senate this week.

Highlights of the bill include:

  • Dropping the witness requirement from two people to one person, but the person must provide a valid address.
  • Addresses the anticipated shortage of poll workers.
  • Allows for county boards to begin clearing the backlog of absentee ballots a little earlier, as opposed to the current law that pushes it out to 5 weeks.
  • Requires absentee ballot applications to have a trackable barcode.
  • Clarifies that voters must directly request a blank absentee ballot request form.
  • Creates a Class I felony for any person sending or delivering an unrequested absentee ballot.
  • Clearly prohibits an all vote-by-mail election.
  • Ceates an online portal for absentee ballot request forms.
  • Allows for non-drivers licenses to be renewed online.
  • Focuses on giving county board of elections the resources they need to conduct this election.
  • Provides the required state match in order for the state to distribute federal funds for elections from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).

Today the Senate Committee on Redistricting and Elections discussed the bill, and approved several amendments. The amendments approved would:

  • Require the State Board of Election to report overvotes and undervotes, and require counties to explain if they failed to provide that data.
  • Require that each county board of elections to report the number of provisional ballots in their county by 5pm on the day after Election Day.
  • Require the State Board of Election to investigate where they are receiving more than 10 requests from one computer or IP address in the absentee ballot portal in order to prevent ballot harvesting.
  • Clarify how local political parties appoint members to the multi-partisan teams that assist with absentee ballots in congregate living settings.

The bill as amended passed the committee and will next be heard in the Senate Committee on Appropriations/Base Budget. It is expected that this bill will continue to pass with bipartisan support in the Senate.