Fight over Mail-in Voting Intensifies on the Eve of First Ballots Being Sent Out
County election boards will mail ballots to requested voters as North Carolina becomes the first state to start 2026 mail voting, officials said.
- On Friday, North Carolina's 100 county boards of elections began distributing absentee-by-mail ballots to voters, making the state the first in the nation to launch mail-in voting for the 2026 general election.
- Executive Director Sam Hayes of the State Board of Elections stated officials remain prepared to serve voters, though a pending lawsuit against the U.S. Postal Service over new federal ballot-tracking requirements complicates the rollout.
- Voters must provide a photo ID or exception form and have two witnesses or a notary sign the ballot envelope; completed ballots must arrive at county boards by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, November 3.
- Governor Josh Stein criticized the timing of a remote meeting scheduled for Friday to discuss potential ballot-processing guidance, stating, "No one should have to ask these questions less than 48 hours before absentee ballots are mailed out."
- Voters have until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 20, to request an absentee ballot, and officials advise using BallotTrax to track ballot status as unpredictable mail service could delay delivery to county offices.
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Swing state throws wrench in Trump's anti-mail-in ballot crusade
President Donald Trump's crusade to limit mail-in voting was swatted aside by a key swing state on Friday.North Carolina became the first state this cycle to send out absentee ballots on schedule, a real-world defiance of the White House's push to choke off the practice before the midterms, The New York Times reported. Election officials in the state said the first wave went to more than 46,000 voters who'd already requested absentee ballots, wi…
NC election officials say they're ready as absentee voting begins
North Carolina State Election Board Executive Director Sam Hayes said all 100 county election boards are ready to begin mailing out absentee ballots on Friday for the Nov. 3 General Election, the first state to do so, despite several issues raising questions, including the uncertainty surrounding ongoing litigation over the US Postal Service’s new rules for mail-in voting.
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