Thousands of voters in a key battleground state are racing the clock to save their ballots after Republicans changed the rules.
Nearly 6 percent of mail ballots counted so far in North Carolina’s 2026 midterms have been flagged with problems, Democracy Docket reported Tuesday, and county monitors point to a new GOP-imposed requirement that the inner ballot envelope be completely sealed inside the outer one.
The figures, compiled by the group Common Cause North Carolina from statewide data through Oct. 24, show 3,672 ballots still in jeopardy. Another 742 voters have already fixed their ballots, but about two-thirds of all problem ballots were spoiled outright.
A spoiled ballot can’t be repaired with a simple attestation form. Instead, voters must return a brand-new ballot or show up in person before polls close on Election Day, Nov. 3.
Those voters have to “start all over again,” Sailor Jones, state director of Common Cause North Carolina, told Democracy Docket. “And while it’s possible to fix or cure many of these ballots before the state deadline, many of these voters shouldn’t have had to.”
The problem is showing up even in the state’s biggest, best-connected counties. In Wake County, inner envelope issues account for 53 percent of all rejections, and Spencer Berg, a deputy director with Wake County elections, said some voters have had to resubmit their ballots four or five times. Hundreds of ballots in Mecklenburg County were also rejected over the seal requirement, according to local reports.
“It’s the largest county of urban population, great access to Wi-Fi and broadband, and those folks are still struggling to get those votes in and get those votes corrected,” Jones said. “So what hope do people in rural hubs with very little broadband access and lower information channels, fewer media resources, have to correct their ballots?”
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