Mail-in voting 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.

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

As 2024 elections approach, NC officials push to educate voters, bolster trust

Elections officials across the country have found themselves beset politically on both sides of the aisle, in lawsuits and in the court of public opinion -- by politicians, activists and voters who question not just the results of past elections but also whether the 2024 results will be trustworthy or fair.

Will Doran, WRAL state government reporter

Ballots start flowing to NC voters Friday, kicking off 2024 election with new rules

With mail-in voting about to kick off -- and early voting starting next month -- state elections officials are pushing to make sure people know about the state's new photo identification rules for voting.

Will Doran, WRAL state government reporter

Durham one of 10 NC counties chosen to test new signature-matching rules for 2024 mail-in voting

For now, the signature-matching rules are only in effect for the 2024 primary election in March, only in the 10 select counties, and only for people who vote by mail. The legislature could decide to require signature-matching statewide in the November general election, too, but that would require passing a new law.

Will Doran, WRAL state government reporter

Voting rights groups sue over new NC elections law, seeking to block changes for 2024

Lawsuits by voting rights groups and Democrats say new state laws contain new provisions that will unfairly cancel people's ballots or lead to voter intimidation at the polls.

Will Doran, WRAL state government reporter

How new NC election laws could strengthen GOP's grip on state and national politics

A GOP-backed change to election rules could let North Carolina legislators ultimately pick who wins the state in future presidential elections. Republicans say it's needed for election integrity. Democrats call it a power-grab.

Will Doran, WRAL state government reporter

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: State's high court must uphold the law not partisanship

Monday, Aug. 28, 2023 -- Courts have the authority - the duty - to review the acts of the legislative and executive branches of government to determine their constitutionality. The justices of North Carolina's Supreme Court need to live up to that fundamental responsibility. Further, they should do it in a transparent manner assuring North Carolinians it is the law and constitution that comprises the foundation for their decisions.

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.

NC lawmakers pass changes to election laws

When Trump lost the 2020 election, he claimed it was rigged by mail-in ballot fraud. Many of Trump's supporters have been contacting NC lawmakers, demanding the GOP-led legislature change the rules.

How Trump inspired North Carolina's new push to eliminate 'grace period' for mail-in ballots

When Trump lost the 2020 election, he claimed it was rigged by mail-in ballot fraud. Many of Trump's supporters have been contacting NC lawmakers, demanding the GOP-led legislature change the rules.

Will Doran, WRAL state government reporter, and Laura Leslie, WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief

Editorial: Elections bills impose solutions where there are no problems

Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023 -- Rather than erecting more impediments to getting qualified citizens to cast ballots, our legislators should be devoting their focus in exploring and enacting laws that encourage ALL those who are qualified to get registered and make it more convenient to vote.

Sweeping election law changes moving forward again in NC legislature, ahead of 2024 elections

Supporters of the changes have said the bills are needed for election integrity. Opponents say the proposals are really intended to suppress voter turnout by making it harder for people to vote, especially by mail.

Will Doran, WRAL state government reporter

DRAUGHON DRAWS: 'Jumbo jet of voter suppression'

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

Editorial: Bipartisan local voting officials rightly warn GOP bills will 'harm' election integrity

Monday, July 16, 2023 -- The warnings offered by these knowledgeable and properly concerned local elections officials must be heeded and the misguided GOP elections legislation dropped.

Local election officials say proposed NC election changes would be 'disruptive'

"Some of the current proposals, if implemented, may have unintended consequences that can harm rather than protect the integrity of our elections," the letter from the Election Boards Association of North Carolina said.

Laura Leslie, WRAL capitol bureau chief

DRAUGHON DRAWS: GOP ballot "security"

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

Election integrity or voter suppression? NC Senate approves big changes for future elections

Two wide-ranging, GOP-backed election bills came up in the state Senate Wednesday over objections from Democrats who say the changes will lead to gridlock and could force thousands of legitimate ballots to be thrown in the trash in future elections.

Will Doran, WRAL state government reporter

New voting restrictions set to advance

Two new bills aimed at changing North Carolina's rules for voting, and how elections are administered, are expected to quickly advance in the state Senate after an initial debate Wednesday.

NC lawmakers hold hearing on proposed election changes

Two new bills aimed at changing North Carolina's rules for voting, and how elections are administered, could advance in the state Senate as early as Thursday.

Elections overhaul poised to advance in NC legislature amid protests by voting rights advocates

Two new bills aimed at changing North Carolina's rules for voting, and how elections are administered, could advance in the state Senate as early as Thursday.

Will Doran, WRAL state government reporter & Laura Leslie, Capitol Bureau Chief

'We're being gaslighted': NC Democrats say proposed new voting rules are about helping GOP, not fighting fraud

North Carolina Republicans have proposed changing many election laws ahead of 2024 that could make it harder to vote, saying they're trying to improve faith in elections. Democrats say it's a cynical ploy to throw out legitimate ballots.

Will Doran, WRAL state government reporter

NC Republicans downplay Trump attorney's role in election law changes

Senate leader Phil Berger said Cleta Mitchell, one of then-President Donald Trump's main attorneys during the 2020 election, "has had no role in the crafting of this legislation."

Will Doran, WRAL state government reporter

North Carolina Republicans file bill that would reduce early voting

Republicans say their proposals are intended to restore public trust in elections -- and deny that their actions are as racially motivated as courts have said.