NORTH CAROLINA — Officials say North Carolina might not meet its absentee ballot mailing deadline.
[ PREVIOUS STORY: NC Supreme Court sides with RFK Jr., orders ballots reprinted without his name ]
In a 4-3 ruling, North Carolina’s highest court said Monday that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name should not be on the state’s presidential ballots.
MORE PREVIOUS STORIES:
- NC court orders RFK Jr.’s name to be removed just before ballots are sent
- Robert F Kennedy to remain on North Carolina ballot
RFK Jr. sued to have his name removed from the ballot after endorsing former President Donald Trump. The North Carolina State Board of Elections resisted RFK Jr.’s initial attempts for removal, citing the large number of ballots that were already printed. But the North Carolina Supreme Court sided with the three judges on the Court of Appeals who ordered ballots to be reprinted without RFK Jr.’s name.
Now, county boards of elections are working to design and print new ballots for the 2024 general election.
Because of the order to reprint, the State Board of Elections is preparing for the possibility that North Carolina cannot meet the federal 45-day deadline for distributing military and overseas ballots to voters. That date falls on Sept. 21.
Channel 9 caught up with some veterans on Tuesday at the VFW Post 9488 in east Charlotte.
U.S. Army Master Sgt. Steve Coulson fought in Korea and Vietnam but said he still had time to vote.
“I’m a Democrat and proud of it,” he said. “Just because you’re in the military, you’re not off the books you know. You need to vote.”
Retired military auxiliary member Donna Gardner agrees.
“I think that’s ridiculous,” she told Channel 9. “That we’re going to spend our tax money to take something off that he fought to get on.”
On Tuesday, state elections officials said if ballots are not ready in all counties by that date, they’ve started talks with the U.S. Department of Defense to seek a potential waiver of that deadline.
“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,” Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections, said in a statement. “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.”
State officials have asked county workers to strictly separate and move the old ballots to storage. This is to prevent the possibility of voters getting the wrong ballots.
As of Monday, 146,603 voters, including more than 12,900 military and overseas voters, had requested ballots.
Below are key dates and deadlines for the 2024 general election in North Carolina:
- Oct. 11: Voter registration deadline (5 p.m.)
- Oct. 17: In-person early voting begins; same-day registration is available
- Oct. 29: Absentee ballot request deadline (5 p.m.)
- Nov. 2: In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.)
- Nov. 5: General Election Day
- Nov. 5: Absentee ballot return deadline (7:30 p.m.)
(WATCH BELOW: As mail ballots prepare to go out, leading NC Gov candidates visit area)
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