(The Center Square) – Analysis by five groups often associated with litigation against election policy by the Republican majority General Assembly in North Carolina has yielded recommendations in five areas.
The 2024 County Board of Elections Monitoring Report is billed as “a comprehensive, on-the-ground analysis of North Carolina’s election administration during the 2024 General Election.” With the report, election staff and volunteers are commended on professionalism.
The report also found “persistent and systemic issues that jeopardize equitable ballot access.”
“This report makes clear the ongoing importance of election monitors and support for our state’s County Board of Elections, and the need for policies that strengthen – not undermine – voter access and confidence in our elections,” said Adrienne Kelly, executive director of Democracy North Carolina.
Oversight of the elections in 100 counties for the presidential cycle ultimately fell to the State Board of Elections, a group then with a 3-2 majority of Democrats. Each county board was also 3-2 Democrats.
Between July 22 and Sept. 12, seven lawsuits were filed against the State Board of Elections that includes Democrats Alan Hirsch, its chairman, Jeff Carmon and Siobhan Millen; and Republicans Stacy Eggers and Kevin Lewis; and Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell.
A state Supreme Court race that dragged through Board of Elections decisions and multiple court rulings at Wake County Superior Court, the state Court of Appeals, the state Supreme Court, and the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ended 184 days after Election Day. It also triggered a lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Justice against the elections board, leading to a settlement and creation of the Registration Repair Project.
More than 82,000 registered voters are impacted, as are future elections that should be able to avoid such litigious aftermath.
The board’s new membership of Republicans Eggers, Bob Rucho and Chairman Francis DeLuca, and Democrats Millen and Carmon were seated in May. Sam Hayes succeeded Brinson Bell as executive director.
“It’s crucial that state lawmakers and county officials work in a bipartisan way to ensure our elections system is properly funded, adequately staffed, and fully prepared to meet the high rates of voter participation we expect to see in 2026 and beyond,” said Tyler Daye, policy and civic engagement manager with Common Cause North Carolina.
The monitoring report’s recommendations are in the areas of voter photo identification, provisional voting, voter registration, voting by mail, and election funding and staff capacity.
The analysis was provided by Democracy North Carolina; Common Cause North Carolina; League of Women Voters of North Carolina; Blueprint NC; and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice.
