North Carolina
NC Senate gives initial approval to bill affecting mail-in voting, AI and local elections
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – The state Senate gave initial approval to a bill Tuesday with significant changes to the state’s elections, as Democrats accused Republicans of a “blatant power grab” when it comes to local elections.
The bill has a variety of provisions that also affect mail-in voting and the use of artificial intelligence in political ads.
The passed its second reading on 26-18 party-line vote. It’ll require an additional vote before it goes to the House.
The legislation aims to address the use of generative AI to deceive or mislead voters by requiring disclosure of the use of that technology in political advertisements. The proliferation of “deepfakes” and deceptive videos is a chief concern to state election officials.
Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the NC State Board of Elections, recently said she worries about someone using her voice to create false messaging about the date of the election or other key information.
“I don’t know that there’s any state law that can 100 percent address that, but we need to try. We need to try to figure out a way to keep this kind of deceptive information from affecting our elections,” said Ann Webb, policy director of Common Cause North Carolina
The disclosure would be required when an ad is created entirely or in part with generative AI and: depicts a real person doing something that didn’t actually happen; was created to injure a candidate or deceive voters regarding a ballot issue; or provides false or misleading information to a voter.
Webb said she thinks the provision also should apply to digital ads.
Failing to comply would be considered a misdemeanor. That part of the law would go into effect July 1. However, Sen. Warren Daniel (R-Burke) said conversations are still underway with Republicans in the House, so the General Assembly may not take final action on the legislation until next year.
Republicans also want to move forward with requiring the state conduct signature matching of mail-in ballots to try to verify people are who they say they are.
They previously authorized a 10-county pilot study, which still is not done. NC State Board of Elections spokesman Pat Gannon said Tuesday the agency has contracted with BizTech Solutions to work with the counties on the pilot.
The technology aims to match someone’s signature on their absentee ballot envelope with the signature on file with the state.
Sen. Daniel (R-Burke) said even though the results of that pilot are still not available, he still wants to move forward with implementation. It would not take effect until 2025, meaning the first use would occur in lower-turnout local elections that year.
“Rather than kind of wait on the bureaucratic churn of that process, we’re going to go ahead and authorize that to be done in 2025 and beyond,” he said. “Here we are this long in the future waiting on the data from the Board of Elections. Probably most of us thought this would be implemented for this election.”
North Carolina already requires people to either have two witnesses attest that someone is indeed the person who filled out a mail-in ballot or a notary public.
Sen. Dan Blue (D-Wake) questioned the need for the additional verification. He asked, “And you’re letting a machine that’s unproven basically say that that notary lied?”
Democrats objected to another part of the bill that would give the General Assembly greater ability to determine how county and city leaders are elected.
“It is one of the more blatant power grabs that we’ve seen,” said Sen. Julie Mayfield (D-Buncombe), adding that she thinks Republicans are likely to target heavily Democratic communities to potentially redraw local districts.
Sen. Daniel said Democrats aren’t being consistent in their arguments for proportional representation.
The bill now goes to the House. Senate leaders say they don’t plan to hold any more voting sessions after this week regardless of whether Republicans can reach a compromise on issues like changes to the state budget.
Shavezz Dixon knew what he was looking for the second time around. The former Ole Miss offensive line commit out of Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County reopened his recruitment earlier in the process, determined to find the right fit before making another college decision. After a strong push from North Carolina that began earlier this year, the three-star offensive lineman found exactly what he was looking for.
Now Dixon is headed to Chapel Hill.
“Development, the history behind Coach Belichick and just the atmosphere and campus environment,” Dixon said when asked about the biggest reasons behind his decision.
North Carolina offered Dixon in January after Bill Belichick, Michael Lombardi and Will Friend visited his school. They extended the offer, and from that point forward, the recruitment took off.
“It just skyrocketed from there with North Carolina. They were on me hard, and so consistent. Coach Lombardi and Coach Friend were great. “They were very straightforward with me and honest, so that put them high on my list.
“Out of all the colleges I’ve been to and talked to, they had the best plan for me to develop as a player.”
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The Tar Heels quickly separated themselves from the pack.
Florida State, Georgia Tech and Florida State all remained heavily involved, but a trip to Chapel Hill helped the Tar Heels win out.
“That visit in March changed everything. I talked to Coach Belichick a lot and Coach Friend, and it just felt right. Our relationships grew, the campus was awesome and I just liked the opportunity I saw there.”
Dixon excited about the staff he will play for in Chapel Hill
Development sat at the top of Dixon’s list.
So did the opportunity to play for one of the most accomplished coaches in football history.
Friend also played a major role.
“Coach Friend is a great coach,” Dixon said. “He’s very hands-on. He’s going to teach you. That’s why I feel like I can get developed by him. Some coaches want to yell and scream, but Coach Friend is about teaching his players. He has had success at different places and he is a great coach to learn from.”
The chance to play for Belichick added another layer to the decision.
“I know that the opportunities are there. I just have to go prove myself. He is a winner. Coach Belichick is one of the best.
“I feel like this year will definitely be a year they take it over the top and exceed expectations. There is no doubt that he will win at North Carolina.”
Dixon will be back in Chapel Hill June 12 for his official visit, and that will be the only one he takes.
“I have shut it all down,” Dixon said. “I know this is home. This is the place for me.”
GREENVILLE, N.C. — A Greenville man is being held without bond after authorities say he failed to report a change of address as required under North Carolina’s sex offender registry laws.
According to Pitt County court records, 66-year-old Charles Eugene Gardner was arrested June 4 and charged with felony failure to register as a sex offender.
Arrest warrants allege Gardner did not notify the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office within the required three business days after leaving his registered address on Ford Street in Greenville.
The charge stems from an alleged violation on May 26 and was filed June 2 following an investigation by the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office.
Gardner remains in the Pitt County Detention Center without bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, June 5.
North Carolina
Mom driving 111 mph crashes car with 3 kids inside, 2 killed, one in critically injured, NCSHP says
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) — A child is fighting for his life after a deadly crash late Wednesday in Fayetteville that killed his two brothers, authorities said.
ABC11 has learned the children’s mother was driving 111 mph when the crash occurred, according to state troopers now leading the investigation.
The crash happened just before 11 pm on Cedar Creek Road after Fayetteville police attempted to make a traffic stop.
A North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP) trooper said the mother sped off before losing control and crashing into a tree. None of the three children, all under 10 years old, was in a car seat, troopers said.
One neighbor, Sara Wallace, said she heard the crash unfold.
“To hear that there were children involved, it’s made it much more, as a mom, scary,” Wallace said.
Wallace, who lives less than a mile from the crash site, described the sounds she heard late Wednesday.
“Within seconds, it was the speed, the thud, and then silence,” she said.
“There was no squealing, there was no braking, there was no crying, there was no sound. And then. Shortly thereafter, all the sirens,” Wallace recalled.
When officers arrived, they found a white Kia had slammed into a tree. The third child, who was ejected from the vehicle, was rushed to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center with life-threatening injuries and later airlifted to UNC Hospital early Thursday morning.
At the scene, debris littered the roadside. “This is the aftermath. The bark stripped from the tree, a taillight, and debris everywhere,” one neighbor described.
Wallace noted the road’s curve can be dangerous at high speeds.
“It is a fairly gentle curve, but once you increase those speeds over that 55 miles an hour, it can be very easy to lose control,” she said.
The mother, who was also injured in the crash, is currently sedated at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center and is expected to recover, officials said.
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The investigation remains ongoing.
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