Current:Home > MarketsNorth Carolina absentee ballots release, delayed by RFK Jr. ruling, to begin late next week-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
North Carolina absentee ballots release, delayed by RFK Jr. ruling, to begin late next week
lotradecoin withdrawalspeed View Date:2024-12-26 02:26:21
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s first absentee ballots for the November election will now be distributed starting late next week, the State Board of Elections announced Friday, days after appeals court judges prevented original ballots containing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s name from being sent.
North Carolina had been poised to be the first in the nation to send out ballots to voters for the fall elections. State law directed the first absentee ballots be mailed or transmitted to those already asking no later than 60 days before Election Day, or Sept. 6 this year. But on that day the state Court of Appeals granted Kennedy’s request to halt the mailing of ballots that included his name for president.
Kennedy had sued the board in late August to remove his name as the We The People party candidate the week after he suspended his campaign and endorsed Republican nominee Donald Trump. The state Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision on Monday, left the lower-court decision in place.
These rulings forced county election officials to reassemble absentee ballot packets, reprint ballots and recode tabulation machines. Counties had printed more than 2.9 million absentee and in-person ballots before last Friday’s court order, according to the state board. Alabama became the first state to mail ballots, on Wednesday.
The state board on Friday revealed a two-tiered release of ballots to the over 166,000 voters who have requested them so far.
First, ballots requested by more than 13,600 military and overseas voters would be sent Sept. 20, which would ensure that the state complies with a federal law requiring ballots be transmitted to these applicant categories by Sept. 21.
Ballots to the other conventional in-state absentee requesters would then follow on Sept. 24. The board said in a news release it would give counties more time to ensure their vendors could print enough amended ballots.
Counties must bear the ballot reprinting costs. A board news release said the expense to counties could vary widely, from a few thousand dollars in some smaller counties to $55,100 in Durham County and $300,000 in Wake County, the state’s largest by population. Wake elections board member Gerry Cohen said on social media Friday that his county’s amount included a 20% surcharge from its ballot printer for the delays.
Early in-person voting starts statewide Oct. 17. The deadline to request absentee ballots is Oct. 29. A law taking effect this year says mail-in absentee ballots must be turned in to election officials sooner — by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
Since suspending his campaign, Kennedy has attempted to take his name off ballots in key battleground states like North Carolina where the race between Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris are close.
Kennedy sued the North Carolina board the day after its Democratic majority determined it was too late in the ballot printing process for his name to be removed. A trial judge denied a temporary restraining order sought by Kennedy, but a three-judge Court of Appeals panel granted Kennedy’s request to halt the mailing of ballots that included his name.
In the prevailing opinion backed by four Republican justices, the state Supreme Court said it would be wrong for Kennedy, who submitted a candidacy resignation letter, to remain on the ballot because it could disenfranchise “countless” voters who would otherwise believe he was still a candidate. Dissenting justices wrote in part that the board was justified by state law in retaining Kennedy’s name because it was impractical to make ballot changes so close to the Sept. 6 distribution deadline.
veryGood! (353)
Related
- Detroit judge orders sleepy teenage girl on field trip to be handcuffed, threatens jail
- Prosecutors reconvene after deadlocked jury in trial over Arizona border killing
- U.K. man charged with Russia-backed arson attack on Ukraine-linked site in London
- Predators' Roman Josi leaves Game 4 with bloody ear, returns as Canucks rally for OT win
- Ryan Reynolds on his 'complicated' relationship with his dad, how it's changed him
- Poisoned cheesecake used as a weapon in an attempted murder a first for NY investigators
- My $250 Beats Earbuds Got Ran Over by a Car and This $25 Pair Is the Perfect Replacement
- Former Slack CEO's 16-Year-Old Child Mint Butterfield Found After Being Reported Missing
- Demi Lovato opens up about how 'daddy issues' led her to chase child stardom, success
- Post Malone reveals his love of country music, performs with Brad Paisley at Stagecoach
Ranking
- A slain teacher loved attending summer camp. His mom is working to give kids the same opportunity
- Clayton MacRae: How The AI Era Shape the World
- Clayton MacRae: When will the Fed cuts Again
- The importance of being lazy
- Usher concert postponed hours before tour opener in Atlanta
- A Florida sheriff says 10 people were wounded by gunfire during an argument at a party venue
- The unfortunate truth about claiming Social Security at age 70
- Predators' Roman Josi leaves Game 4 with bloody ear, returns as Canucks rally for OT win
Recommendation
-
US shoppers sharply boosted spending at retailers in July despite higher prices
-
West Virginia and North Carolina’s transgender care coverage policies discriminate, judges rule
-
Charging bear attacks karate practitioner in Japan: I thought I should make my move or else I will be killed
-
Prince Harry Returning to the U.K. 3 Months After Visiting King Charles III
-
Get 70% Off Kate Spade, 70% Off Coach, 40% Off Banana Republic, 40% Off Disney & Today's Top Deals
-
Clayton MacRae : 2024 Crypto Evolution
-
AIGM adding Artificial Intelligent into Crypto Trading Platform
-
3 U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones, worth about $30 million each, have crashed in or near Yemen since November