North Carolina

NC voting rights groups ask for clearer voter ID rules for county boards ahead of the first batches of absentee ballots going out Friday | NC Newsline

Published

2 years ago

January 18, 2024

NC voting rights groups ask for clearer voter ID rules for county boards ahead of the first batches of absentee ballots going out Friday | NC Newsline

Some county boards of election violated “the text and spirit” of the voter ID law when they baselessly questioned the reasons voters didn’t have photo identification last November, three voting rights groups told the State Board of Election in a letter.

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Common Cause North Carolina, and Democracy North Carolina want the State Board of Elections to make it clear what local boards can and cannot do when they’re considering accepting ballots from people who vote without photo ID.

State Board of Elections officials spoke to reporters on Thursday, a day ahead of the first batch of mail-in ballots for the March 5 primary going out to voters who asked for one. The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the primary is February 27.

NC Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell (Photo: NCBOE)

At the news conference, State Board of Elections attorney Paul Cox said the letter from the voting rights groups is one of many comments the board has received on voter ID rules. The board is slated to vote on permanent rules later this year, he said. One of the items they’re considering is how to make certain of uniformity across counties in the handling of photo ID issues.

“That is certainly an item that is front of mind for the State Board,” he said.

For the first time in years, voters were asked for valid photo identification when they went to vote last year. Voters who cast mail-in ballots were asked to send in copies of their IDs.

One of the options for people who don’t have IDs is to fill out an exception form with the reason they don’t have one when casting a provisional ballot.

Voter advocacy groups monitored how 35 county elections boards handled ballots with exception forms and found wide variations.

Most voters cast ballots last year without problems. According to information the state board provided, 484 people cast provisional ballots in the November elections for reasons related to photo ID. That’s about one-tenth of 1% of the total vote. Of the 484, 228 ballots were not counted. Forty-three were not counted because county boards of election rejected ID exception forms.

Before accepting a handful of ballots with exception forms, the Guilford County Board of Elections wrote voters accusatory letters claiming they had lied about the reasons they didn’t have ID and telling them they could come to a hearing. One of those letters went to a voter with Huntington’s disease who uses a wheelchair, NC Newsline reported.

The letter from the voter groups said election boards in Guilford, Mecklenburg, and Brunswick violated the State Board’s instructions not to second-guess the reasonableness of voters’ reasons for not having identification.

At the statewide elections conference in a few weeks, county elections board members and local election workers will again talk about the legal requirements for county board review of photo ID, Cox said.

Upcoming free photo ID event in Raleigh (Flyer Wake County Board of Elections)

The municipal elections offered the chance to see if counties understood the State Board’s guidance, Brinson Bell said.

“We just try to work on continuous improvement and try to serve the voters,” she said.

People who vote absentee must provide a copy of their photo identification with their returned ballot, or include a form saying why they could not provide a copy. And new this year is the deadline for returning absentee ballots.

A law passed last year ended the three-day grace period for absentee ballot returns, so mailed ballots must arrive at county board offices by 7:30 pm on election day.

County boards of election provide free IDs that can be used for voting.

Local boards have been stepping up their voter outreach efforts.

The Wake County Board of Elections has scheduled its second photo ID event for this Saturday. The Durham County Board of Elections is touring county libraries this year, with appearances scheduled through July.

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North Carolina

These 4 Western NC towns are among WorldAtlas favorites for 2026

Published

2 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

These 4 Western NC towns are among WorldAtlas favorites for 2026

A new list from WorldAtlas named the publication’s top 10 favorite North Carolina towns of 2026, including several locations located in Western North Carolina.

Founded in 1994 by cartographer John Moen and his wife, Chris Woolwine-Moen, WorldAtlas publishes educational materials and articles on geography, sociology, demography, environment, economics, politics, and travel.

Previous Citizen Times articles have covered numerous mentions of Western North Carolina from WorldAtlas, including “idyllic” and “unpretentious” towns, scenic drives, a favorite downtown area, and more. In the new list, published March 9, WorldAtlas writers chose their all-time favorite North Carolina towns ― almost half of which were located in the western region of the state.

Here’s what WorldAtlas had to say about mountain North Carolina towns, plus the full list and more.

What to do in Banner Elk, N.C.

WorldAtlas noted the range of activities offered in Banner Elk throughout the year. The town sits in the Blue Ridge Mountains between the Sugar Mountain and Beech Mountain ski resorts. Writers highlighted the following locations and activities in Banner Elk:

Wildcat Lake, which has a lifeguarded white-sand beach and is used for swimming, non-motorized boating and fishing for largemouth bass, trout, and bluegill
Grandfather Mountain Nature Museum, a museum located at Grandfather Mountain
The Mile High Swinging Bridge, the highest suspension footbridge in the United States, which visitors can cross on foot

What to do in Blowing Rock, N.C.

Also included on the WorldAtlas list, Blowing Rock takes its name from a rock formation where the wind appears to blow upward. The list highlighted the following locations and activities in Blowing Rock:

The town’s namesake, “Blowing Rock,” is a rock formation known for views of Johns River Gorge and the surrounding forest
Fishing, spelunking and rock climbing opportunities in the area
Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, also known locally as “Cone Park,” which has hiking trails and is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Memorial Park on Main Street, where town events and concerts often take place

What to do in Brevard, N.C.

Brevard, also known as the “Land of Waterfalls,” is home to more than 200 waterfalls located across Transylvania County. WorldAtlas highlighted the following locations and activities in Brevard:

Museums, trails, rock climbing and the surrounding area’s many waterfalls
Guided Jeep and hiking tours to view waterfalls throughout Transylvania County
Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas, a museum displaying artifacts from U.S. military conflicts
Transylvania Heritage Museum, a museum focused on local history and genealogy

What to do in Hot Springs, N.C.

Hot Springs’ name comes from the natural springs that attract visitors from across the state and region. The springs are commonly visited by hikers seeking relief after traveling along the Appalachian Trail, which runs through the town. WorldAtlas highlighted the following activities and events:

Kayaking on the French Broad River
Trailfest, a celebration of hiking typically held in April
French Broad River Festival, a celebration of the French Broad River held each year on the first weekend of May
White-water rafting and ziplining opportunities in the area
Fishing, skiing, sport shooting, golf, disc golf, biking and horseback riding opportunities throughout the area
A range of accommodations including campgrounds, privately owned cabins, apartments, suites and cottages, with options from basic to luxury experiences

WorldAtlas’s best towns in North Carolina

The full list of WorldAtlas’s favorite North Carolina towns of 2026 included:

Banner Elk
Beaufort
Blowing Rock
Brevard
Davidson
Edenton
Hot Springs
Seagrove
Manteo
Wrightsville Beach

Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.

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North Carolina

‘It was dire’: NC State professor returns from Qatar after being trapped during Iran war

Published

14 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

‘It was dire’: NC State professor returns from Qatar after being trapped during Iran war

An North Carolina State University professor is back home Monday night after he was trapped in the Middle East as war with Iran broke out.

Rich Spontak was stuck in Qatar while traveling from Bangkok to Spain and was forced to stay in the country for about a week. Several travelers were trapped for days in the Middle East after Iran’s
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several defense leaders were
killed in joint strikes by the United States and Israel.

Spontak, like many travelers, found himself stranded in the Middle East after the initial attacks, which quickly entangled more surrounding countries, including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, where seven U.S. service members were killed in retaliatory attacks from Iran.

Spontak said there were times he thought he wouldn’t make it out.

“I would just keep looking out and looking for the missiles,” Spontak said. “Some people that I met along the way were hit by shrapnel from the missles. It was dire.”

Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait and Syria remained closed, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24. Azerbaijan also shut the southern sector of its airspace on Thursday after accusing Iran of a drone attack that injured four civilians and damaged an airport building.

Lilia Austin, a Chapel Hill woman who was part of a group of 100 women who went to Israel for a trip the day before Khamenei was killed, also returned home on Sunday after she left Israel through Egypt.

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North Carolina

Gov. Stein proposes $1.4B ‘critical needs’ budget for North Carolina

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Gov. Stein proposes .4B ‘critical needs’ budget for North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (WLOS) — With North Carolina still without a new state budget, Gov. Josh Stein is urging state lawmakers to approve a $1.4 billion “Critical Needs Budget.” Stein says this budget will address the state’s most urgent priorities while the General Assembly works on a full spending plan.

“North Carolina has gone nearly two and a half years without passing a new state budget – the only state in the country to finish 2025 without one[…]This budget invests in critical public safety, education and health care services for the people of North Carolina that cannot wait,” Gov. Stein said in a press release Monday.

A major part of Stein’s proposal is $319 million to fully fund Medicaid, which provides health coverage to over three million North Carolinians. This program also supports rural hospitals, nursing homes and statewide health care providers, per the release.

JUDGE ORDERS FEMA TO REINSTATE $200M STORM RELIEF PROGRAM, ATTORNEY GENERAL SAYS

The “Critical Needs Budget” would target public safety staffing and pay. According to the governor’s office, North Carolina currently ranks 49th in starting salaries for state troopers and correctional officers, and low pay has contributed to staffing shortages and vacancy rates. This budget would bring pay raises to correctional officers, law enforcement officers, probation and parole officers and more.

Stein’s proposed budget calls for raising starting and average teacher pay, as well as increasing pay for senior teachers and other education staff. The governor’s office said the state remains in the bottom 10 nationally in average teacher pay.

The budget proposal also includes pay increases for state employees and a cost-of-living adjustment for retired state employees, citing rising inflation costs and increasing health care premiums. Stein’s plan also includes targeted funding to maintain essential services, such as support for child care access and affordability.

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