Absentee ballot Coverage

Editorial: Too many mail-in N.C. ballots unfairly rejected, fix it now

Friday, April 5, 2024 -- The General Assembly, as it gathers this spring, needs to re-instate the grace period for receipt of mail-in ballots cast in a timely manner. It is the fair thing to do.

More than 1,600 ballots thrown out in NC primary elections

More than 1,600 ballots were rejected in the March 5 primary election, according to data from the North Carolina Board of Elections. This was the first statewide election since 2014 to require voter ID, due to a court ruling that enacted the law after a long legal battle, as well as the first to implement a tighter deadline for mail-in ballots.

Laura Leslie, WRAL Capitol bureau chief

From requesting a ballot to submitting it, a step-by-step guide to absentee voting in NC

Looking to vote by mail in North Carolina? Here are the steps to make sure your vote counts.

WRAL Staff

2024 NC Primary Election FAQ: Voting questions answered

The early voting period for the 2024 primary election begins Thursday, Feb. 15, and ends at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 2.

WRAL staff

Close races in Wake County could hinge on absentee, provisional ballots

Several races in Wake County were unofficially decided Tuesday night by very thin margins. Absentee and provisional ballots that haven't been counted yet could still change those outcomes, though that's pretty rare.

Laura Leslie, WRAL capitol bureau chief

Fact check: Cooper says elections bill would toss ballots 'if a computer rejects a signature'

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper recently vetoed a GOP-authored elections bill, arguing that it could disenfranchise people who vote by mail.

Paul Specht, PolitiFact reporter

Editorial: Proposed law aims at GOP partisan advantage, not election integrity

Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023 -- Gov. Cooper should veto this transparently partisan bill aimed at giving Republicans advantage at the polls. Legislators should seek to provide election rules that work to encourage and enable all eligible voters to cast ballots by Election Day and assure that every properly cast ballot is accurately counted.

DRAUGHON DRAWS: 'Jumbo jet of voter suppression'

Tuesday, July 18, 2023 -- Capitol Broadcasting Company's editorial cartoonist

DRAUGHON DRAWS: GOP ballot "security"

Friday, June 23, 2023 -- Capitol Broadcasting Company's editorial cartoonist.

Fact check: Do social media posts show midterm ballots in the trash?

Posts on Instagram and Twitter purported to show photos of discarded midterm ballots from California and New Mexico. PolitiFact checks the claims.

Ciara O'Rourke, PolitiFact reporter

Explaining why the election results process takes time

North Carolina polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. But after the polls close, county and state elections officials go through many more steps before they can certify results.

Here's why you don't get final results on Election Night

North Carolina polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. But after the polls close, county and state elections officials go through many more steps before they can certify results.

Laura Leslie, WRAL capitol bureau chief

Early voting starts Thursday in North Carolina

North Carolina's early-voting period for the general election starts Thursday and runs through 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5.

Mark Bergin, WRAL senior multiplatform producer and Travis Fain, WRAL state government reporter

Judge rules on NC dispute over election observers, absentee ballot deadline

Judge places temporary hold on election-observer rule but keeps Nov. 14 absentee ballot deadline in place.

Paul Specht, WRAL state government reporter

Absentee ballots mailed out for 2022 election

On Friday, the first day absentee ballots were being mailed out for the fall 2022 election.

Early mail-in ballot requests in NC higher than 2018, but far behind 2020

On Friday, the first day absentee ballots are being mailed out for the fall 2022 election, early ballot requests in Wake County and statewide are noticeably higher than they were for the last midterm election in 2018. But they're still well behind the numbers for the same point in 2020.

Laura Leslie, WRAL Capitol bureau chief

NC to begin mailing out absentee ballots for 2022 midterm election

Starting Friday people in North Carolina can vote in the upcoming midterm election.

Republican seeks to remove Democratic opponent from hotly contested NC Senate race over residency dispute

Republican state Rep. Bobby Hanig says Democrat Valerie Jordan doesn't live in the eastern North Carolina district they're vying to represent.

Bryan Anderson, WRAL state government reporter

NC absentee ballot signatures won't face new scrutiny, elections board rules

The North Carolina GOP sought to allow county boards of elections to compare questionable signatures on absentee ballot request forms, citing concerns over voter fraud. The Democrat-controlled state elections board denied the request, saying there are plenty of safeguards in place.

By Paul Specht, WRAL state government reporter, and Laura Leslie, WRAL capitol bureau chief

Proposal to match signatures on voter registration cards and mail-in ballots

The North Carolina Board of Elections has voted against a petition to allow election officials to conduct signature verification for absentee ballots.

Early voting for May 17 primary ends Saturday afternoon

Saturday marks the last day of early voting for North Carolina's May 17 primary elections.

Mark Bergin, WRAL senior multiplatform producer

Lines form at polling sites as early voting begins for the May 17 primary

Early voting for the May 17 primary election goes from April 28 through May 14.

Mark Bergin, WRAL senior multiplatform producer

WRAL Voter Guide helps prepare voters for 2022 primary election

WRAL is making it easier to prepare for the May 17 primary, so North Carolina voters are prepared on election day.

WRAL Voter Guide launches ahead of May 17 primary

WRAL is making it easier to prepare for the 2022 primary, so North Carolina voters are prepared on election day.

Final day to register to vote in the May 17 North Carolina primary before Early Voting. Here's who is running.

Early voting begins on Thursday, April 28 and ends at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 14.

Mark Bergin, WRAL senior multiplatform producer