Voting: Latest NC Updates

For info on the SAVE Act, see below.

ALERTs are for information. But not just for information.

If you want to reach out to your elected leaders to let them know your thoughts, HIT THE RED BUTTON BELOW.

See the lists of important voting access bills on the second half of this page.

Current LWVNC Alerts

NC House Bill 127 “NC lawmakers delay vote on criminalizing voter registration drives. Republican state House leaders Monday evening (June 2) delayed a hearing on a bill that would make it a misdemeanor to hold voter registration drives in North Carolina. The move came as opponents organized a protest and as election law experts questioned whether it would conflict with federal law.” From WRAL. Posted 6:49 p.m. Jun 2 - Updated 7:46 p.m. Jun 2 Here is the complete WRAL story.

NC House Bill 127 would prevent groups or organizations from helping citizens register to vote, working with high schools to register or pre-register young voters, making sure that college students are registered at their correct address and assisting formerly incarcerated voters.

There was little notice about the vote. LWVCV quickly alerted members in the Catawba Valley to contact their local NC House representatives. Then, the vote was delayed. The vote may happen again with similar notice. Be prepared to email or phone your representative to express your thoughts.

NC House Bill 66 seeks to cut early voting days from 17 to 6. LWVNC President Jennifer Rubin speaks out on what impact this will have.

NC House Bill 31 would make election day a state holiday in NC.

There are other bills regarding voting rights, redistricting and related issues and women’s rights and related issues. The list can be seen in the LWV North Carolina newsletter.

LWVNC Joins Federal Law Suit That Challenges 200,000 NC Voters

New Bern, NC — A group of North Carolinians, along with a coalition of nonpartisan voting and civil rights organizations, are seeking to intervene in a federal lawsuit that wrongly challenges the eligibility of more than 200,000 voters by claiming their registration records are incomplete. This is a similar group that was targeted leading up to the Griffin Case. More info here.

The SAVE Act. Why It Is Important.

The stated purpose of the bill is to prohibit noncitizens from voting. It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote. The SAVE Act requires more specific documents to vote—beyond the current voter ID. A birth certificate with the voter’s current name on it, a passport (costs over $150) or naturalization papers will be acceptable. The documents need to be shown in person to register to vote or to update a change in address for voting.

It is possible to use a Real ID only in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington. Those Real IDs have verified whether a person is a U.S. citizen and are called enhanced driver’s licenses.

These new requirement affects millions of married women who have traditionally changed their names to their husband’s after marriage. Their birth certificates no longer show their current name. This bill burdens the military voters, tribal voters, rural voters and any survivors of natural disasters should their documents have been lost. This bill also removes online voting registration and online registration updates.

Griffin Challenge to NC Supreme Court Vote is Rejected.

This is a case the League members throughout the state have followed closely since the November 2024 election. Here is LWVNC President, Jennifer Ruben, being interviewed after the decision was given.

FUTURE OF NC ELECTIONS IS A SUCCESS

This report was released on February 4 by the NC Network for Fair, Safe, & Secure Elections. This is a bipartisan group co-led by former Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts (D) and retired NC Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr (R) and supported by the Carter Center in Atlanta.

Following fourteen months of investigation, research, and deliberation by committee, the Commission on the Future of North Carolina Elections released its final report at a meeting at Catawba College on February 4th. The report offers an in-depth, cross-partisan analysis of the state’s election processes and administration, marking a major step in evaluating and strengthening North Carolina’s election system.

The Commission, supported by Catawba College’s Center for N.C. Politics & Public Service, and a grant from Interfaith America, produced a nearly 200-page report examining eleven key areas of the state’s election system – from voter registration to election challenges & protests.  The Commission found that:

1. Our election system is well-administered and secure.

2. The state employs strong safeguards, including a requirement that every ballot has a paper backup, and strict prohibitions on electronic ballot marking devices being connected to the internet.

3. Commission research determined that there has been no evidence of widespread fraud.

4. Despite this, the report finds that many voters remain unaware of these security measures, fueling skepticism about election integrity.
    
   Among the consensus findings are the following points:

• Public education is a key priority. The report highlights the impact of rampant misinformation and declining local news coverage in shaping public misperceptions of elections.

• Election offices are often underfunded, and staff turnover is high. The Commission recommended salary increases, better security measures for election workers, and broader training of student interns as election workers. 

• Unaffiliated voters are underrepresented on boards of elections and as candidates in North Carolina. The Commission recommends reconsidering restrictions on unaffiliated voters and candidates to reflect the changing voter landscape.