Fears of coronavirus endangering voters in North Carolina this fall — or potentially lowering voter turnout — aren’t enough to force the state to change many of its elections laws, a federal judge has ruled.
However, U.S. District Court Judge William Osteen did order one key change: new protections for people who vote by mail, giving them a second chance to fix any problems that might keep their ballot from being counted.
The ruling said people will now be ensured “due process” to fix any problems that arise with their ballots, and Osteen left open the door for the state’s political leaders to write a more specific rule or law “which provides a voter with notice and an opportunity to be heard” if there is a problem with their mail-in ballot.
You can find the court’s 188-page ruling at this link.