Statewide mail-in voting for this year's midterm elections begins Friday amid a legal battle over President Donald Trump's efforts to restrict the practice and concerns that Postal Service changes could lead to more rejected ballots. North Carolina will become the first state to broadly distribute mail ballots for elections that will determine control of Congress for the remainder of Trump's term. Election officials said voting will proceed as planned despite ongoing court challenges.
Trump has long criticized mail voting and falsely blamed the practice for his 2020 loss to Joe Biden, despite repeatedly voting by mail himself. In March, Trump signed an executive order seeking new restrictions, including voter-list requirements, ballot barcodes and new Postal Service rules. Litigation has delayed the changes, although the Supreme Court issued a procedural ruling favoring Trump last week.
The administration appealed another ruling to the high court Thursday. Election administrators have warned that media coverage of executive orders and legal disputes has confused some voters. Michael Dickerson, director of the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections, emphasized that public confusion has become a main issue.
"The biggest part of this is that it has sparked questions about what it is. Can I not vote by mail anymore?’" he said. Addressing these concerns directly, Dickerson sought to reassure the electorate.
"I just want people to be assured that, yes, you can still vote by mail," he said, adding "it’s a safe and secure process." Even as the dispute continues through the judicial system, election staff in North Carolina are working diligently to meet a Friday deadline, local officials said in interviews. In Wake County, staff members have been actively processing both paper and online absentee request forms submitted every day, according to Olivia McCall, the county’s director of elections. Election workers have additionally been coding ballots, conducting accuracy tests ahead of the election, and preparing mailings for absentee voters containing a ballot, instructions, and photo ID fliers, she noted.
McCall stated that approximately 5,000 ballots will be dispatched during the first distribution wave in Wake County. Dickerson observed that the turnaround time for mail-in ballots to be sent back might also move quickly, particularly for military and overseas voters, who are permitted to cast their ballots using an online portal. "I guarantee you" votes will begin rolling in that way by Saturday, he said.
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