{"id":2336373,"date":"2024-09-04T04:31:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T08:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/north-carolina-kicks-off-2024-voting-with-lawsuits-in-limbo-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-04T04:40:55","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T08:40:55","slug":"north-carolina-kicks-off-2024-voting-with-lawsuits-in-limbo-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/north-carolina-kicks-off-2024-voting-with-lawsuits-in-limbo-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"North Carolina kicks off 2024 voting with lawsuits in limbo &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnorth-carolina-kicks-off-2024-voting-with-lawsuits-in-limbo-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2336373&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Sure!\u2063 Here\u2019s a summary of the key\u2062 points from the article about\u2064 the upcoming 2024 elections in North Carolina:<\/p>\n<p>### Overview<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; **Early Voting**: North Carolina is initiating\u2062 early voting with absentee ballots being mailed out starting September 6, 2024.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; **Key Elections**: The focus is on\u2064 the 2024 election, with North Carolina being a critical swing state for both parties.<\/p>\n<p>### Legal \u200dChallenges<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; North\u200c Carolina is facing several legal challenges regarding its voter ID laws\u2063 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-puts-susan-rice-in-charge-of-effort-to-expand-vote-by-mail\/\" title=\"Biden Puts Susan Rice in Charge of Effort to Expand Vote by Mail\">voter registration processes<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p>  &#8211; A nearly 6-year-old lawsuit by the NAACP regarding the state&#8217;s voter ID law is still pending.<\/p>\n<p>  &#8211; Republican lawsuits aim to remove over 200,000 voters from the\u2064 rolls, \u200balleging failures in enforcing voter identification and citizenship verification laws.<\/p>\n<p>### Election Dynamics<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; **Polling**: Polls show a competitive race, with candidates Kamala\u2063 Harris and Donald Trump closely tied.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; **Historical Context**: The state\u2063 voted for Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections, making it a significant target for both parties in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>###\u200d Voting Regulations<\/p>\n<p>-\u2062 **Voter ID Requirement**: Voters\u2063 need to present an approved form of identification to vote in person.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; **Ballot\u200c Submission**: Mail-in ballots must be received by 7:30 PM on Election Day, November 5, 2024.<\/p>\n<p>### Key Dates<\/p>\n<p>-\u200c **Voting Timeline**:<\/p>\n<p>  &#8211; Absentee ballots are sent\u200b out starting September 6.<\/p>\n<p>  &#8211; \u200dThe deadline to register to vote is October 11.<\/p>\n<p>  &#8211; Early in-person voting\u200b begins on October 17 and ends on November 2.<\/p>\n<p>### Candidates<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; In addition to Harris and\u2062 Trump, other candidates include\u200d Jill Stein\u200c (Green Party), Cornel West (Justice for All Party), Chase Oliver (Libertarian Party), and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (independent).<\/p>\n<p>### Conclusion<\/p>\n<p>Understanding the legal challenges,\u2063 voter ID laws, and the political \u200clandscape is crucial for grasping what could \u200cinfluence the outcome of the elections in North Carolina this November.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Battleground ballots: First 2024 ballots to go out in North Carolina with election lawsuits in limbo<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1745042\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><em>Early voting is poised to get underway in several states this month. The&nbsp;<\/em>Washington Examiner<em>&nbsp;will take a closer look at the swing states, including voting rules you need to know and key differences from prior elections. Part 2 of&nbsp;<strong>Battleground Ballots<\/strong>&nbsp;will focus on what has changed in North Carolina, a critical battleground that Democrats believe could seal a general election victory for Vice President Kamala Harris.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/north-carolina\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"North Carolina\">North Carolina<\/a> residents will start receiving voting materials for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"2024 election\">2024 election<\/a> this week, with absentee ballots beginning to hit mailboxes on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncsbe.gov\/voting\/upcoming-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Sept. 6\">Sept. 6<\/a> in the critical swing state. <\/p>\n<p>But a few legal challenges regarding the Tar Heel State&rsquo;s voter registration and ID laws could prove to have a significant impact on whether the state swings red or blue in November.<\/p>\n<p>Former President<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&nbsp;Donald Trump<\/a>&nbsp;carried North Carolina in both the 2016 and 2020 general elections. It was notably the only battleground where Trump defeated President Joe Biden, by just over 1 percentage point.<\/p>\n<p>The thin margin by which the state was decided in 2020 makes the legal challenges in the state, including a nearly 6-year-old lawsuit filed by the NAACP protesting North Carolina&rsquo;s voter ID law, even more consequential to the 2024 election.<\/p>\n<p>Another lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee and the state Republican Party seeks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.democracydocket.com\/cases\/north-carolina-voter-registration-identification-challenge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"purge more than 200,000 voters\">purge more than 200,000 voters<\/a> from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/grenell-legal-action-plan-to-force-calif-election-boards-to-clean-up-their-voter-rolls\/\" title=\"Grenell: Legal action plan to force Calif. election boards to clean up their voter rolls\">voter rolls ahead<\/a> of the election, citing a failure from the state elections board to require identification to prove citizenship.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Battleground Ballots voting series. (Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3139938\/batteground-ballots-arizona-election-voting-laws\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"PART ONE: HOW ARIZONA'S ELECTION WILL BE DIFFERENT THIS NOVEMBER AFTER YEARS OF SCRUTINY\">PART 1: HOW ARIZONA&rsquo;S ELECTION WILL BE DIFFERENT THIS NOVEMBER AFTER YEARS OF SCRUTINY<\/a><br \/><\/strong><br \/>Democrats believe the Tar Heel State will help lift Vice President<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title> Kamala Harris<\/a> to the presidency this November. Harris has visited North Carolina just once since entering the race in July, holding a campaign rally in Raleigh in late August where she outlined the broad strokes of her economic platform, but she has traveled to the state eight times in 2024 in total, on top of more than a dozen trips while serving as Biden&rsquo;s vice president.<\/p>\n<p>Sensing the heat, the Trump team has also stepped up its campaigning in North Carolina since Harris became the Democratic nominee. And later this week, North Carolina will become the first swing state in the country to begin voting when it sends out mail-in absentee ballots on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Here&rsquo;s what you should know about North Carolina&rsquo;s legal battles and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/incensed-by-elon-musks-twitter-takeover-the-left-wont-even-pay-lip-service-to-free-speech\/\" title=\"Incensed By Elon Musk\u2019s Twitter Takeover, The Left Won\u2019t Even Pay Lip Service To Free Speech\">voting rules ahead<\/a> of November.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">State of the race<\/h2>\n<p>North Carolina, like the other six battlegrounds, remains incredibly close but has slid to the left since Democrats swapped out Harris for Biden in July.<\/p>\n<p><em>Cook Political Report<\/em> lists North Carolina as a toss-up, the <em>Hill&rsquo;s<\/em> polling aggregate shows Harris and Trump tied at 48.3%, and the <em>RealClearPolitics<\/em> polling average gave Trump less than a 1-point advantage over Harris in the state.<\/p>\n<p>Morgan Jackson, a veteran Democratic operative based in North Carolina and a former top aide to Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC), described the situation as &ldquo;an absolute jump ball&rdquo; and said both parties are laser-focused on winning the state.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You can see it and you can feel it on the ground. The energy enthusiasm is palatable, especially for Democrats &hellip; awakened by [Harris] on the ballot,&rdquo; he told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve seen a couple of different visits from Trump, and he hadn&rsquo;t been here for months and all of a sudden he&rsquo;s here twice in two weeks and scheduling more visits. They know how important North Carolina is to their electoral math, that if North Carolina goes Democratic, there&rsquo;s not a path for Donald Trump to be president.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Legal challenges pending in court <\/h2>\n<p>Despite efforts to increase election security since the last general election, the North Carolina State Board of Elections has been slapped with six lawsuits over the past 40 days.<\/p>\n<p>Three of those lawsuits involve independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who dropped his White House bid in August and endorsed Trump. The first lawsuit involves Kennedy&rsquo;s initial effort to be included on the ballot. The second is a lawsuit filed by the North Carolina Democratic Party looking to reverse his admittance to the ballot, and the third involves Kennedy&rsquo;s subsequent effort to be removed from the ballot.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump points during a campaign rally at North Carolina Aviation Museum, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Asheboro, North Carolina. (AP Photo\/Julia Nikhinson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>However, Republican Party officials have also filed two suits against the NCSBE. The first lawsuit, filed by the Republican National Committee and the state party on Aug. 22, claims that the NCSBE has failed to &ldquo;clean up&rdquo; voter rolls by not checking jury questionnaires to identify noncitizens and remove them from the voter rolls. <\/p>\n<p>The second, filed by the RNC and&nbsp;the North Carolina Republican Party on Aug. 23, seeks to purge more than 200,000 voters from voter rolls ahead of the election and accuses the NCSBE of not taking proper steps to prevent noncitizens from voting in elections, and it has yet to be resolved.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The NCSBE has once again failed in its mandate to keep non-citizens off the voter rolls, fueling distrust and jeopardizing our elections. We are committed to the basic principle &mdash; and commonsense law &mdash; that only Americans decide American elections,&rdquo; RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement. &ldquo;Deliberately failing to follow the law, right before our country&rsquo;s most important election, is inexcusable.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This state board continually has problems ensuring voter rolls only have verified citizens,&rdquo; NCGOP Chairman Jason Simmons added.<\/p>\n<p>Jackson, the veteran Democratic operative, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>&nbsp;that the GOP lawsuits and Trump&rsquo;s increased focus on the state show that Republicans are &ldquo;running scared.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is going to be one of the closest states in the nation,&rdquo; he claimed. &ldquo;This is a race that&rsquo;s going to come down to a mix of two things. It&rsquo;s going to be a mix of where&nbsp;the national environment is 60 days from now, and it&rsquo;s going to be a mix of what the campaigns have done on the margins to move a half a point, a quarter of a point in different ways. That&rsquo;s how you win North Carolina.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, a nearly 6-year-old lawsuit filed by the NAACP protesting North Carolina&rsquo;s voter ID law is still up in the air.<\/p>\n<p>A long-delayed, nonjury trial took place back in May of this year, and the district court has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.democracydocket.com\/cases\/north-carolina-photo-id-challenge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"yet to deliver a decision\">yet to deliver a decision<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key differences compared to 2020<\/h2>\n<p>Even as voters await the court&rsquo;s decisions on the state&rsquo;s voter ID law, North Carolina has instituted the requirement.<\/p>\n<p>In-person voters must present an acceptable form of photo identification to cast ballots, including a state driver&rsquo;s license, a U.S. passport, a North Carolina voter photo ID card, an approved college or university student ID, a state or local government or charter school employee ID card, a military or veterans ID card, a tribal enrollment ID card, or a state or federal public assistance program ID card with photo.<\/p>\n<p>Voters can still choose to vote without providing an approved form of identification by filling out a provisional ballot, but they must then fill out an ID exception form or later return to the county board of elections office and show proof of ID prior to votes being counted. North Carolina has also tightened rules around the acceptance of mail-in ballots and vote counting.<\/p>\n<p>Mail-in ballots must be received by 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5, Election Day, and state officials will not begin counting votes until polls close at 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who&rsquo;s on the ballot in North Carolina?<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to Harris and Trump, North Carolina voters have five other presidential candidates to choose from: Constitution Party candidate Randall Terry, Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Justice for All Party candidate Cornel West, Libertarian Party nominee Chase Oliver, and independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who filed under the We the People Party.<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy ended his White House campaign in late August and has since endorsed Trump. Prior to dropping out, he had stretched to appear on as many state ballots as possible and is now seeking to undo that work.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event at Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence on the Scott Northern Wake Campus of Wake Tech Community College in Raleigh, North Carolina, Friday, Aug. 16, 2024. (AP Photo\/Julia Nikhinson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>His initial request to be removed from the ballot in North Carolina was struck down by the NCSBE, and Kennedy has subsequently filed a lawsuit claiming the NCSBE is violating not only his constitutional rights but also state election law.<\/p>\n<p>NCSBE Director Karen Brinson Bell said last Thursday that Kennedy&rsquo;s request could not be fulfilled because the state has already printed more than 2 million ballots in 67 of the 100 counties and does not have the time or money to restart that process ahead of Sept. 6.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When we talk about printing a ballot, we are not talking about &hellip; pressing &lsquo;copy&rsquo; on a Xerox machine,&rdquo; she said in a statement. &ldquo;This is a much more complex and layered process.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When does voting begin and end? Who can vote?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p>North Carolina county boards of elections have already been accepting requests for absentee voting, and those ballots will begin being sent to eligible voters this Friday, Sept. 6. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 29 at 5 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>The deadline to register to vote in North Carolina is Oct. 11 at 5 p.m., and the state board of elections lists <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncsbe.gov\/registering\/who-can-register\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>clear requirements<\/a> for who is eligible. To vote in North Carolina, voters must fulfill all of the following requirements: U.S. citizen, live in the county you are registering to vote in for at least 30 days prior to Election Day, at least 18 years old by Election Day, and not be serving a felony sentence, including&nbsp;probation, parole, or any form of post-release supervision.<\/p>\n<p>North Carolina will begin in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wapo-fact-checker-biden-misled-about-georgia-election-law-it-expands-voting-opportunities-for-most-georgians\/\" title=\"WaPo Fact Checker: Biden Misled About Georgia Election Law, It Expands Voting Opportunities For Most Georgians\">-person early voting<\/a> on Oct. 17, and it will run until Nov. 2 at 3 p.m.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The polls close on Election Day at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5, the same deadline to return mail-in ballots. Both in-person voters and absentee voters in all 100 North Carolina counties use paper ballots, which the NCSBE claims will produce &ldquo;a paper trail which can be easily audited or recounted.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How are poll watchers selected and votes verified?<\/h2>\n<p>North Carolina state officials have taken steps to limit outside interference in elections. Under state law, no voting machine can be connected to the internet or contain a modem or modem chip. The &ldquo;county boards of elections conduct logic and accuracy tests on every voting machine that will be used in the election to ensure proper coding of ballots and counting of votes for every contest on the ballot,&rdquo; according to the NCSBE.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, county and state party executives and independent presidential campaigns are allowed to select poll watchers, or observers as they&rsquo;re referred to in North Carolina, to monitor the process. County party chairs may select up to two people to observe at each <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/voting-hours-extended-to-10pm-in-pas-luzerne-county-after-voting-problems\/\" title=\"Voting Hours Extended to 10PM in PA&#039;s Luzerne County After Voting Problems\">county polling location<\/a>, in addition to 10 people who may observe at any polling location in the county. State party chairs are allowed to appoint up to 100 observers who may observe at any polling location in the state. Independent campaigns may also select up to two people to observe at each state polling location. Every observer must be a registered North Carolina voter.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At the polling centers themselves, votes are counted using ballot scanners or tabulators, which after being fed a paper ballot record voters&rsquo; selections on both a paper results tape and a USB stick.<br \/>And once the polls close on Election Day, the NCSBE will begin a process called &ldquo;canvassing,&rdquo; which will calculate the final vote tallies and include multiple audits for voter fraud. During this process, the NCSBE will also investigate provisional ballots submitted by voters who did not show approved forms of identification to determine if they are indeed eligible&nbsp;to vote.<\/p>\n<p>There is no immediate deadline for counting and verifying votes, and the NCSBE says it will check every single vote cast in the 2024 election. Once the NCSBE concludes the canvassing process, it will transmit the results to the state secretary of state, who will in turn notify the governor. In this case, Cooper will then issue a proclamation naming the state&rsquo;s electors, who will meet on Dec. 17 in the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh to certify the votes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1745042\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1745042\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>**Battleground Ballots: North Carolina&#8217;s 2024 Election Ballots Set to Be Sent Amid Ongoing Legal Disputes**<\/p>\n<p>As early voting is set to commence in various states this month, the Washington Examiner will examine swing states, highlighting essential voting regulations and notable changes from previous elections. The second part of the Battleground Ballots series will delve into North Carolina, a pivotal battleground that Democrats believe could secure a general election win for Vice President Kamala Harris.<\/p>\n<p>Residents of North Carolina will begin receiving their voting materials for the 2024 election this week, with absentee ballots expected to start arriving in mailboxes on September 6. However, several legal challenges concerning voter registration and ID laws in the state may significantly influence whether it leans Democratic or Republican come November.<\/p>\n<p>Former President Donald Trump won North Carolina in both the 2016 and 2020 elections, notably being the only battleground where he outperformed President Joe Biden by just over one percentage point. The narrow margin from 2020 makes ongoing legal disputes\u2014such as a nearly six-year-old lawsuit by the NAACP against North Carolina\u2019s voter ID law\u2014especially critical for this upcoming election. Additionally, another lawsuit initiated by the Republican National Committee (RNC) and state Republicans aims to remove over 200,000 voters from registration lists due to alleged failures by state officials to enforce identification requirements.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats are optimistic that North Carolina can help propel Vice President Harris toward victory this November. Although she has only visited once since her candidacy began in July\u2014a rally in Raleigh where she discussed her economic platform\u2014she has made eight trips there throughout her vice presidency.<\/p>\n<p>In response to Harris&#8217;s nomination, Trump&#8217;s campaign has intensified its efforts in North Carolina. This week marks an important milestone as it becomes the first swing state nationwide to initiate voting with mail-in absentee ballots being sent out on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what you need to know about ongoing legal issues and voting regulations ahead of November:<\/p>\n<p>**Current Race Status**<br \/>\nNorth Carolina remains highly competitive among key battlegrounds but appears slightly more favorable towards Democrats since they replaced Biden with Harris as their candidate. According to Cook Political Report, it&#8217;s categorized as a toss-up; polling aggregates show both candidates tied at approximately 48%, while RealClearPolitics gives Trump a slight edge under one percentage point.<\/p>\n<p>Morgan Jackson\u2014a seasoned Democratic strategist based in North Carolina\u2014described it as \u201can absolute jump ball,\u201d noting heightened enthusiasm among voters energized by Harris&#8217;s presence on the ballot. He observed increased activity from Trump\u2019s campaign following Harris&#8217;s nomination; recognizing how crucial winning North Carolina is for Trump&#8217;s electoral strategy.<\/p>\n<p>**Ongoing Legal Challenges**<br \/>\nDespite attempts at enhancing election security post-2020 elections, six lawsuits have been filed against the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) within just over a month. Three involve independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who recently withdrew his presidential bid but had previously sought ballot inclusion across multiple states before endorsing Trump after dropping out.<\/p>\n<p>Republican officials have also launched two lawsuits against NCSBE regarding alleged failures related to maintaining accurate voter rolls and preventing noncitizen votes ahead of Election Day\u2014a situation they claim undermines public trust in electoral integrity.<\/p>\n<p>Jackson argues that these GOP actions indicate fear within their ranks about losing ground in such an important state: \u201cThis is going to be one of the closest states,\u201d he asserted while emphasizing how national trends combined with campaign strategies could sway results marginally either way.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, an ongoing NAACP lawsuit challenging voter ID requirements remains unresolved after a trial earlier this year without any ruling yet issued from district court judges.<\/p>\n<p>**Changes Since 2020**<br \/>\nWhile awaiting judicial decisions regarding voter ID laws\u2014which currently mandate photo identification for those casting ballots\u2014the NCSBE has implemented stricter rules around mail-in ballots and vote counting procedures compared with previous years.<br \/>\nMail-in ballots must arrive no later than November 5 at precisely 7:30 p.m., coinciding with poll closing times when counting begins statewide.<\/p>\n<p>In addition\u00a0to\u00a0Harris\u00a0and\u00a0Trump\u2019s names appearing on ballots come November are five other candidates representing various parties including Randall Terry (Constitution Party), Jill Stein (Green Party), Cornel West (Justice For All Party), Chase Oliver (Libertarian Party), along with independent Robert F Kennedy Jr.\u2014who now seeks removal after endorsing Trump post-campaign suspension due largely because logistical constraints prevent immediate adjustments given already printed materials across numerous counties statewide.<\/p>\n<p>Voting eligibility requires individuals meet specific criteria including U.S citizenship status alongside residency mandates prior registering before deadlines approaching October respectively followed closely thereafter leading into early-voting periods commencing mid-month through until Election Day itself concluding promptly thereafter at designated hours outlined above ensuring transparency throughout processes involved therein via paper trails maintained during audits conducted subsequently verifying legitimacy behind each cast vote ultimately culminating final tallies reported back up through official channels accordingly thereafter notifying respective authorities involved overseeing certification processes moving forward beyond initial phases leading up towards electors meeting scheduled later down line confirming outcomes achieved overall reflecting collective choices made amongst electorate participating actively engaged throughout entire cycle unfolding ahead!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2645,"featured_media":2336374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/north_carolina_voting.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[40035,6571,7976,32258],"class_list":["post-2336373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-2024-voting","tag-elections","tag-lawsuits","tag-north-carolina"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/north_carolina_voting.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2336373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2645"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2336373"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2336373\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2336374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2336373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2336373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2336373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}