The Overview

North Carolina voters whose mail-in absentee ballots have a fixable problem, such as a missing signature, will have until noon on the fifth business day after the Tuesday, Nov. 3, election to correct it, up from the third business day. The change is part of an election law Gov. Josh Stein (D) signed Aug. 11, and nearly all of it is already in effect. ​

House Bill 834-v-5/), led by Republican Reps. Jonathan Almond and Neal Jackson, also changes when counties begin counting early and mail-in ballots and how they protect those counts before polls close. It was the first election bill enacted in North Carolina this year, according to Ballotpedia.

What The Law Does

County boards must notify voters of a fixable ballot problem by the end of the next business day, by mail and also by phone and email when available. Each county must set a time between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Election Day to begin counting early in-person and mail-in ballots, announced at least two weeks ahead, and must count provisional ballots by the fifth business day after the election.

When early voting ends, counties must lock voting equipment, keep early results confidential and store paper ballots and electronic records separately, and revealing counts before polls close is now a felony. An expired driver’s license still valid for driving counts as voter ID through Dec. 31, 2027, and starting Jan. 1, 2027, a relative or guardian who delivers someone’s mail-in ballot must sign an affidavit. People challenging State Board decisions can now sue in their home county instead of only in Wake County.

The Debate

The House passed the bill 109-0 in May 2025, and the Senate approved a revised version unanimously on July 28. The House then agreed to the changes 74-35 on Aug. 4, with 11 Democrats joining Republicans and 35 Democrats opposed. Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) welcomed the longer deadlines but warned the court choice invites “judge shopping,” Carolina Public Press reported.

The bill moved alongside House Bill 958, a broader election bill that cut early voting days for primaries and passed the Senate along party lines. Stein signed HB 834 but vetoed HB 958 on Aug. 17, calling it “anti-voter legislation.”

What’s Next

The longer cure window applies to next week’s election, giving voters with flawed mail ballots more time to save their votes. The tradeoff is that final results in close races may take longer to settle, and legislative leaders have said they will not try to override Stein’s HB 958 veto until after November.

---

AllCiv makes it easy to stay politically informed and involved.

---

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article