North Carolina’s State Board of Elections unveiled a fresh set of rules on Friday that will govern how mail‑in ballots are evaluated, just hours before the state began mailing the ballots to voters. The guidelines tighten the criteria for acceptance, mandating that any ballot with a signature that does not match the voter’s on file must be rejected outright. Officials also received a checklist of additional verification steps, such as confirming the ballot’s envelope integrity and ensuring required identification marks are present. Critics argue the changes could disenfranchise voters, especially seniors and those with limited access to signature‑verification tools, while supporters say the measures are necessary to safeguard election integrity. The timing of the announcement, coming right before the mail‑out, has sparked debate over transparency and the potential impact on turnout in the upcoming election.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections approved new guidelines Friday regarding mail-in ballots, hours before those same ballots were sent to voters. The new guidelines pertain to the standards the board will use to decide whether to count a mail-in ballot — including requiring officials to disqualify a ballot if its signature does not...
