Author: Gary O. Bartlett, Executive Director
After an audit of the absentee voting data for the 2012 primary, there appears to be several county boards of elections that are not properly following absentee voting procedures. Specifically, we have noted issues in the following areas:
- Counties are not starting the verification of in‐person registrations within two business days as required by G.S. § 163‐82.6A(d).
Corrective Action Required: Within two business days of an in‐person registration, the county board of elections shall verify the North Carolina drivers license or Social Security number of the registrant, update the statewide registration database and search for possible duplicate registrations, and proceed to verify the person's address. No later than today, county boards must send a verification mailing to any in‐person registrant who registered at one‐stop on or before May 1, 2012 and has not yet been sent a mailing. Hereafter, county boards must send the verification mailing within two business days as is required by law. Compliance with this process will be subject to continuing audits by the State Board of Elections.
- Counties are processing existing voters as new registrants during the one‐stop absentee voting process.
Corrective Action Required: One‐stop workers must be instructed to search for an existing registration for all persons who present to vote at one‐stop. Do not start a new registration for an applicant until the person's name and date of birth has been adequately searched using the one‐stop application.
- Counties are not ensuring that voter registration applications are fully completed.
Corrective Action Required: One‐stop workers must be instructed to review any completed voter registration application to ensure that the application bears the applicant's full name, date of birth, residential address, and is signed by the applicant. The citizenship checkbox must also be checked. After review, if there is any missing required element, the application should be handed back to the person for correction. For any incomplete applications that have already been accepted and processed during this one‐stop voting period, county board staff are instructed to make contact immediately with these voters to correct the deficiency with the forms. Please note that these voters may not be penalized on the failures of the county board staff and/or one‐stop workers.
- Counties appear to be giving voters an incorrect ballot style.
Corrective Action Required: County board staff and one‐stop workers must be sure to check and ensure that voters are given the correct ballot style. For any voter that has already voted the wrong ballot style, this error must be corrected immediately. See attached procedures.
These issues are unacceptable and must be remedied as soon as possible.
[Download the PDF below for the Procedures for Handling Incorrectly Issued Absentee Ballots attachment.]
↓ Proper Procedures for In‐Person Registrations and Absentee Voting: Numbered Memo 2012-12 (PDF)