Articles

As the North Carolina General Assembly hurtles toward the May 8 crossover deadline, legislators are rushing to pass bills. Bills that do not pass at least one chamber by crossover are unlikely to become law (although there are ways around that problem). One bill, Senate Bill 299, appears unlikely to make the cut. That is...

With Chief District Judge Richard Myers’ latest ruling, the North Carolina Supreme Court race may finally reach a conclusion. Myers’ ruling rejected the state Court of Appeals ruling as modified by the state Supreme Court, ordering that the race be certified after a one-week stay to allow for any appeals. While Jefferson Griffin has the...

With Chief District Judge Richard Myers’ latest ruling, the North Carolina Supreme Court race may finally reach a conclusion.  Myers’ ruling rejected the state Court of Appeals ruling as modified by the state Supreme Court, ordering that the race be certified after a one-week stay to allow for any appeals. While Jefferson Griffin has the...

Legislation passed in 2023 addressed the problem of election officials accepting ballots from nonexistent registrations (due to verification failure). A federal lawsuit settlement threatens to bring that problem back. The “ghost voter” problem The John Locke Foundation’s review of the 2020 election noted a problem with some same-day registrations (SDRs). Unlike all other registrations, some...

With the actions of the North Carolina Court of Appeals this week, the appointment authority of the state board of elections moves from the governor to the state auditor as prescribed in last year’s Senate Bill 382 (SB 382). Although there has been plenty of news coverage on the matter, much of it conflates appointment...

I recently wrote about House Bill 967, a bill advancing in the General Assembly that would regulate voter behavior at polling places and protect political signs outside those locations from theft or vandalism. Another bill moving forward in the legislature would regulate the behavior of election officials, specifically, voting place officials who fail to do...

When historians and political scientists discuss the powers and authority of each state’s various branches, the consensus has been that North Carolina’s governor is among the weakest. However, this long-held view will need to be reevaluated after yesterday’s superior court ruling. The majority of the Wake County Superior Court three-judge panel overseeing the Stein v....

A bill in the General Assembly would regulate behavior at polling places and protect political signs outside those locations from theft or vandalism. House Bill 967, “Disorderly Conduct at Voting Places,” is sponsored by Tricia Cotham (R-Mecklenburg). It has two substantive sections. The first would extend the protection currently given to public facilities to private...

With all avenues of appeal exhausted in state courts, Judge Griffin’s challenge of North Carolina election law has found its way back before federal district court  Judge Richard Myers. The last two weeks have seen rapid action in this case, with Myers seeming to be following suit with a resolution to this appeal, possibly coming...

The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled in Jefferson Griffin vs. North Carolina State Board of Elections on April 11. The decision mostly favored incumbent justice Allison Riggs (who was recused from the case) but leaves enough room for doubt about the status of some ballots that we may not know the final result for another...

The John Locke Foundation published a review of President Donald Trump’s election executive order on March 26. We noted in the review that “the president is nowhere mentioned” in the Constitution’s Elections Clause, meaning that the Framers did not envision a role for the president in setting election policy. For review, here is the full...

The legal challenges for the North Carolina Supreme Court election have been difficult to follow and generated much confusion.  Not only has the case been active in both state and federal jurisdiction, but has involved more contested voters over time. These factors and the way the case has been argued make many people forget that...

I noted last year that the North Carolina State Board of Elections (SBE) needed to reform its new party petition process after problems with several party petitions over the past several years. They have obliged and then some. The SBE wants to add a new chapter to its administrative code focused solely on petitions. The...

One way election officials are supposed to make our elections more secure is by ensuring that every voter registration is unique. There must be one registration for each voter and one voter for each registration. Identifiers such as name, age, or address are not entirely reliable for that purpose because more than one voter can...

North Carolina recognizes the importance of government transparency with its open meetings law Some local governments try to skirt the open meetings law, including by splitting their meetings into two nonmajority meetings The General Assembly should close an apparent loophole in the open meetings law and put a transparency constitutional amendment up for a vote...

The North Carolina Board of Elections should take inspiration from the Federal Elections Commission and create a system to track election finances, not just individual campaigns The North Carolina General Assembly should move to require all campaign committees to file digital reports The NCSBE should use the tools they have and require all campaigns to...

President Trump issued an executive order on March 25 to alter federal election policy. The motivation for the order is to preserve American citizens’ right to “free, fair, and honest elections:” Free, fair, and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors, or suspicion are fundamental to maintaining our constitutional Republic. The right of American citizens to...

North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek appeared on Carolina Journal’s “The Debrief” on March 6. Early in the episode, Editor-in-Chief Donna King asked Boliek if he was open to having a team under him to audit elections. Here was his response: I spoke on the campaign trail about auditing the [North Carolina State] Board of...

In the 8 years I’ve worked on and analyzed North Carolina campaigns, I’ve seen how legislative candidates run their campaigns wildly differently. Campaigns can range from tooth-and-nail battles where candidates and volunteers knock on doors every week and have ads constantly running on every media you can afford to campaigns as simple as handing out...

Below is my prepared public comment on the State Board of Elections (SBE) proposed rule 08 NCAC 20.0103, “Identification of Observers.” I made the comment at an SBE hearing on March 6. The proposed rule changes for election observers are welcome clarifications and protections from arbitrary removals. There is one proposal that could use a...

Should election day be a holiday? Many North Carolina legislators think so. An election day holiday bill advances in the General Assembly House Bill 31, directly entitled “Make Election Day A State Holiday,” is advancing in the General Assembly. The bill’s primary sponsors are Brian Biggs (R-Randolph), Stephen M. Ross (R-Alamance), Neal Jackson (R-Moore, Randolph),...

Republicans and Democrats running for state legislature collectively raised roughly $80 million in the 2024 election Funding sources varied heavily not only for Democrats vs. Republicans but also based on the geography and competitiveness of the legislative district Competitive urban elections are becoming increasingly expensive When it comes to legislative elections, most people have some...

The North Carolina State Board of Elections (SBE) is proposing permanent rules on election observers and for election protests and recounts. Similar temporary rules were in effect for the 2024 election. Election Observer Rules The proposed rules on observers are based on General Statute 163‑45.1, which was passed as part of Senate Bill 747 in...

The North Carolina State Board of Elections (SBE) has announced that it is accepting applications from educational institutions and government agencies so their student and employee IDs can be used for voting purposes in 2025 and 2026. The board noted in the announcement that employer and college IDs are a large part of the plethora...