Exclusive: Thousands of North Carolina ballots set to be rejected after GOP imposed strict new rules, data shows

Key Points:

• A federal court upheld strict new Republican-backed absentee ballot rules in North Carolina, leading to an estimated 3% rejection rate of mail ballots, potentially disenfranchising thousands of voters due to minor technical issues like improper sealing of inner envelopes.
• Data from 27 counties show rejection rates as high as 7-8% in Democratic strongholds such as Mecklenburg and Forsyth counties, with smaller counties also experiencing significant ballot spoilage, highlighting the disproportionate impact on voters relying on mail ballots.
• The new rules include a requirement to seal an inner envelope within the outer envelope and restrict assistance with ballots to near-relatives, posing challenges especially for older, disabled, and mobility-constrained voters.
• Absentee ballot requests have dropped 32% compared to the previous midterm year, with some voters reportedly avoiding mail voting due to fears of ballot rejection under the new regulations.
• The North Carolina State Board of Elections, controlled by Republicans, supported the ruling, while the presiding judge emphasized election integrity concerns and noted it was too late to change rules mid-voting, urging voters to use the cure process if their ballots are rejected.