North Carolina

RNC, North Carolina Republicans Sue Over State Guidance On Absentee Ballots

Published

4 months ago

September 5, 2024

RNC, North Carolina Republicans Sue Over State Guidance On Absentee Ballots

Palatine, IL/USA – 08-27-2020: Safely mailing an application for ballot for 2020 election at a drive-up mailbox at the US Post Office. Credit: Adobe Stock.

The Republican National Committee (RNC), the North Carolina Republican Party and a voter are suing the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) over its guidance to county election boards that an absentee ballot may be counted even if it isn’t submitted in a sealed container-return envelope.

It’s the latest RNC lawsuit targeting state voting procedures ahead of the 2024 race and third filed in the state over the past two weeks.

The plaintiffs argue the state board’s guidance directly conflicts with state election law on counting absentee ballots. Specifically, state law stipulates that an absentee ballot must, among other things, be received by the appropriate county board of elections in a sealed container-return envelope to be counted by that board.”

Before filing the lawsuit, the plaintiffs say they submitted a request in May for a declaratory ruling from the NCSBE on the matter. North Carolina law allows an aggrieved person to request a declaratory ruling from a state agency.

The agency responded in August, the complaint said, stating in part that while a second return envelope is required for the absentee ballot, the envelope doesn’t specifically have to be a container-return envelope, so long as it’s in a sealed envelope. The plaintiffs said state law is clear that ballots “must be placed in the container-return envelope which, in turn, must be sealed.”

The plaintiffs are asking a state court to reverse the NCSBE’s ruling and issue a declaratory judgment stating that the only type of envelope that qualifies as a container-return envelope under state law is an envelope that satisfies all of the law’s requirements.

The RNC has brought 14 anti-voting lawsuits challenging voter roll maintenance, canvassing absentee ballots and a host of other procedural issues that impact voting and elections.

Read the lawsuit here.

Read more about the case here.

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North Carolina

School closings, delays in Western North Carolina, Wednesday, Jan. 15

Published

6 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

School closings, delays in Western North Carolina, Wednesday, Jan. 15

Some school systems in Western North Carolina are closed or operating on delays Wednesday, Jan. 15, due to winter weather impacts.

Avery County Schools: Two-hour delay.
Cherokee County Schools: Two-hour delay.
Clay County Schools: Closed, optional workday.
Graham County Schools: Two-hour delay.
Jackson County Schools: Two-hour delay.
Macon County Schools: Franklin area closed, remote learning day. Highlands School, three-hour delay. Nantahala School, two-hour delay.
Madison County Schools: One-hour delay.
Mitchell County Schools: One-hour delay.
Swain County Schools: Two-hour delay.
Transylvania County Schools: Two-hour delay.

This story will be updated

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North Carolina

Biden admin gives millions to NC school districts for DEI, restorative justice

Published

14 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

Biden admin gives millions to NC school districts for DEI, restorative justice

A new investigative report from the nonprofit advocacy group Parents Defending Education finds that the Biden administration’s Justice Department issued DEI, restorative justice, and social emotional learning grants to four North Carolina school districts over the course of his administration.

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North Carolina

FEMA extends transitional housing program for North Carolina residents displaced by Hurricane Helene

Published

21 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

FEMA extends transitional housing program for North Carolina residents displaced by Hurricane Helene

FEMA is extending its Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) Program to Jan. 25 for residents of North Carolina, according to a Monday announcement.

The program, which was set to expire on Tuesday, funds temporary housing, like hotel or motel rooms, for thousands of people displaced from their homes by Hurricane Helene.

The federal assistance gives households extra time to find alternative housing solutions or to make repairs to their homes.

FEMA ADMINISTRATOR URGES HURRICANE HELENE VICTIMS TO TAKE ACTION AMID RISK OF LOSING TEMPORARY HOUSING

A drone view shows damage following Hurricane Helene, in Asheville, North Carolina, on Sept. 29. (Reuters/Marco Bello)

More than 3,000 families are eligible for the program’s extension, according to FEMA.

The agency said people checking out of their temporary housing on Tuesday are returning to habitable homes or have withdrawn from FEMA assistance.

NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR PUSHES FEMA TO EXTEND TEMPORARY SHELTER ASSISTANCE AS WINTER STORM ROLLS IN

More than 10,000 households accepted temporary shelter in hotels participating in the TSA program following the aftermath of the hurricane, FEMA said last month, but most have since moved to longer-term housing.