RALEIGH, N.C. — More than 200,000 people in North Carolina have filled out an absentee ballot request form and sent it in to the Board of Elections asking for a mail ballot. That’s over eight times more than this point in 2016.
The U.S. Postal Service is warning voters when they get the ballots to not hang onto them too long. USPS sent a letter to the secretary of state’s office which then forwarded it this morning to the North Carolina State Board of Elections
It said “certain deadlines for requesting and casting mail-in ballots are incongruous with the postal service’s delivery standards. This mismatch creates a risk that ballots requested near the deadline under state law will not be returned by mail in time to be counted.”
“This is a significant development for mail-in voting for North Carolina,” political expert Dr. Michael Bitzer said.
[ ALSO READ: What to know about voting by mail as absentee ballot applications arrive ]
Bitzer analyzes the state’s absentee ballot data every day.
He said the biggest issue right now is the funding and politicizing of this crucial institution enshrined in the Constitution.
“If voters want to utilize by-mail voting, that should be a priority for the federal government, the states and the postal service,” Bitzer said.
The best way to make sure your absentee ballot counts is to request it now. That way it will be included in the first batch of ballots sent by the Board of Elections (BOE) on September 4. When you get it, fill it out and return it as soon as possible. NCSBE recommends doing this by at least a week prior to Election Day.
You don’t have to mail your absentee ballot. The ballots can be dropped off at the BOE or an early-voting site.
“That may be the choice that a lot of North Carolinians decide to do,” Bitzer said.
For more information on requesting an absentee ballot, click here.
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