By admin 
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A simple mistake when sending a mail-in ballot could have bigger consequences after the North Carolina State Board of Elections approved new absentee voting rules Monday.
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In a party-line vote, the Republican-controlled board adopted six rules, one of which would require an extra step from absentee voters who forget to seal the inner envelope containing their ballot. Republican members said the changes better protect ballot security, while Democrats warned the extra step could be too burdensome for some voters.
When voting by mail in North Carolina, voters must seal the inner envelope containing their ballot before returning it. Under the new rule, if that envelope is left unsealed, the ballot will be considered spoiled. Until now, county election workers could simply seal the envelope and continue processing the ballot.
“These rules clarify the process that needs to be undertaken and are reasonable for, reasonable rules for a balance between ballot security and ballot access,” said SBOE secretary Stacy Eggers, a Republican.
Under the new rules, when election officials discover an unsealed inner envelope more than three days before the election, they must spoil the original ballot and send the voter a replacement absentee ballot along with a letter explaining why the original ballot cannot be counted. If the problem is discovered within three days of the election, election officials must contact the voter by phone and instruct them to vote in person.
SBOE member Siobhan Millen, a Democrat, said that extra step imposes an unnecessary hurdle on absentee voters, which could ultimately cost them their vote.
“It’s going to continue to be confusing to the voter. And if they don’t understand which envelope they were supposed to put it in, but they put it in the sealed envelope, I think it’s overly fastidious to throw their ballot out. And I think we’re going to lose perfectly sound ballots due to overly fussiness,” she said.
SBOE member Jeff Carmon, a Democrat, said he was especially worried about certain groups who may not be able to cast their ballot in-person. This includes older adults, people with disabilities, and military service members.
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“I just can’t support this rule. I know so many people who are elderly, or otherwise not as versed at voting and completing the documents as we are, will be overwhelmed with this, and I’m afraid it’s going to chill the vote,” he said.
SBOE member Angela Hawkins, a Republican, disagreed with those concerns, saying the instructions are easy to understand.
“I don’t think it’s fussy. I don’t think it’s picky. I don’t think it’s hard,” she said.
Eggers said requiring voters to properly seal the inner envelope is a commonsense safeguard for ballot security.
“But an unsealed envelope is a security issue for that ballot and for that voter. And also leaving, things in a sealed envelope that may have a defect, is a disservice to the voter,” he said.
Five additional rules approved Monday mostly clarify how counties process absentee ballots when there’s an issue with the paperwork.
All rules passed together on a single party line vote of 3-2. They are set to take effect Sept. 1, but must first be approved by the state’s Rules Review Commission.
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