(The Center Square) – Two election integrity bills are headed to the North Carolina governor following passage late Tuesday evening in the House of Representatives.
Supporters say they will strengthen election integrity through improved voter verification, stronger oversight, streamlined election administration and fairer election procedures. Most provisions would be enacted Jan. 1.
Next up for the bill is a trip to first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. He’ll have a 10-day window to sign, veto or allow to become law without his signature. Day of presentation to him is considered Day 0.
Election Law Changes (House Bill 958) and SBOE Administrative Changes (House Bill 834) have, in the former, changes to days to vote early in person in primaries and, in the latter, measures about ballot counting and missing signatures of voters.
SBOE is the acronym for State Board of Elections.
Rep. Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke, said in a release, “North Carolinians want elections they can trust, and House Republicans have consistently advanced practical reforms to improve election integrity. These bills build on that work by making our elections even more secure and giving voters even more confidence when they head to the polls.”
Blackwell is chairman of the chamber’s Committee on Election Law.
Election Law Changes would change early in-person voting periods for primaries, primary runoffs and special elections to 10 days rather than 17.
The bill also requires use of federal databases and information from other states to help remove deceased voters from the rolls. And the state auditor’s office would conduct post-election audits of county election systems at least once every six years.
“No findings in audits under this section shall be used as grounds to challenge the final result of an election,” said Sen. Warren Daniel, R-Burke, amid the floor debate.
Rather, the analysis would be of voter list maintenance, voting equipment tests, ballot records, chain-of-custody documentation, and handling of absentee and provisional ballots.
North Carolina in 2023 expressly, through the state budget, rejected joining the Electronic Registration Information Center that Senate Democrats pushed in last week’s debate. The state uses data sharing agreements with the federal SAVE database and North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles.
SAVE is an acronym for Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements. It is run by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Political party integrity, supporters say, is presersved with a requirement of candidates to affiliated with their respective party at least 365 days before seeking nomination unless the party grants a waiver.
The requirement to use the latest federal census data for redistricting and improving how registrations applications are processed is a step toward modernization, say Republican lawmakers.
House passage of Election Law Changes was 62-47, with no Democrats for it and no Republicans against it. Of two unaffiliated lawmakers formerly Democrats, Rep. Carla Cunningham, U-Mecklenburg, was against the measure and Rep. Nasif Majeed, U-Mecklenburg, had an excused absence.
Passage in the Senate on July 28 was 28-13 with no Democrats for it and no Republicans against it.
In SBOE Administrative Changes, the language focuses on ballot processing, absentee-ballot delivery and judicial review of decisions by the State Board of Elections.
The bill language extends the deadline for correcting registration issues after an election from three days to five. It also permits judicial review of decisions from the State Board of Elections in Wake County or the county where the plaintiff lives.
House passage of SBOE Administrative Changes was 74-35, with 11 Democrats for it and no Republicans against it. Of two unaffiliated lawmakers formerly Democrats, Cunningham was an aye and Majeed had an excused absence.
Passage in the Senate on July 28 was 42-0 with 14 Democrats for it.
