The North Carolina Board of Elections on Monday approved new rules for absentee mail ballots that could make it harder for people to have their votes count.
The vote for the new rules split along partisan lines, with three Republicans voting yes and two Democrats voting no.
Voters could have their mail ballots rejected if they didn’t seal their ballot in a specific envelope, even if an outside envelope was sealed.
Democratic board member Siobhan O’Duffy Millen said the new rules were unnecessary.
“If they don’t understand which envelope they were supposed to put it in, but they put it in a sealed envelope, I think it’s overly fastidious to throw their ballot out,” O’Duffy Millen said. “And I think we’re going to lose perfectly sound ballots due to overly fussiness.”
Republican board member Angela Hawkins said she didn’t think the changes were fussy.
“I don’t think it’s picky and I don’t think it’s hard,” Hawkins said. “I have family members who vote absentee. If they don’t understand, they can call the county board of elections.”
Republican board member Stacy Eggers IV said an unsealed envelope is a security risk. He said the instructions for voters are clear.
“I’m not sure what more we can do,” he said.
Last week, the state board changed rules for how county boards of elections review ballots from voters who didn’t have an ID at the polls or on their mail-in ballot. The previous rule said it would take a unanimous decision from county boards to reject a ballot, meaning Democrats and Republicans had to agree. Now, boards can reject those ballots with a majority vote.
President Trump has said, without evidence, that mail voting is rife with fraud. He also has pushed for photo ID.
The changes must be approved by the state’s Rules Review Commission. It’s unclear if they will be approved in time for the November election.
