The North Carolina State Board of Elections just announced it may not be able to meet the federal deadline to send out mail-in absentee ballots.
According to a release, the need to print new ballots came after Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "We The People" campaign was suspended indefinitely. Over 2.9 million individual ballots were printed before the court order.
A Monday ruling from the N.C. Supreme Court said it would require election officials to remove "We The People" from the party line on ballots.
Before the ruling, county boards of elections were looking to mail ballots out to voters last week in accordance with the state's deadline for absentee voting. Revised ballots now have to be created and sent to voters. This is expected to happen "in the next couple weeks," according to the State Board.
Officials said the date when all NC counties will have new ballots ready to be delivered is "uncertain." When the ballots are eventually ready, they'll be sent out on the same day.
The State Board is now concerned it won't be able to meet the federal deadline for military and overseas ballots considering the quick turnaround required for the ballot revisions. The release said the State Board is speaking with the U.S. Department of Defense about potentially waiving the original Sept. 21 deadline if state counties don't have the ballots ready.
“We will continue to consult with counties and ballot vendors to determine the feasible start date for distributing absentee ballots statewide, mindful of the goal to meet the 45-day federal deadline,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “This decision imposes a tremendous hardship on our county boards, at an extremely busy time. But our election officials are professionals, and I have no doubt we will rise to the challenge.”
Below is a list of key dates for the 2024 general election:
- Oct. 11: Voter registration deadline
- Oct. 17: In-person early voting begins; same-day registration available.
- Oct. 29: Absentee ballot request deadline
- Nov. 2: In-person early voting ends
- Nov. 5: General Election Day
- Nov. 5: Absentee ballot return deadline
