Action Alert: Absentee Voting: Irregularities That Do Not Require Further Action from Voter

• Please rephrase the Rationale and Justification for the Irregularities That Do Not Require Further Action From the Voter rule so the NCSBE treats each submission separately.

• Then click on the Public Comment Portal at the bottom of the page to submit your Comment.

• Email Jane.bilello@gmail.com with the Rule and comment you submitted so we can keep track of submissions. Thanks.

Proposed rule 08 NCAC 18 .0504: Irregularities That Do Not Require Further Action from the Voter – This rule identifies irregularities that must be documented but which do not require a cure process or the ballot to be reissued.

Rationale: 

This rule is not needed.  It is a narrative description of certain acceptable deviations in an absentee ballot return package, even though they do not conform precisely with preferred standards in the submission of absentee ballot return packages.   

Justification: 

1.  It is inappropriate to write a rule describing permutations of correct absentee ballot return package contents. 

2.  Use of the term “irregularity” introduces confusion and ambiguity into the processing of absentee ballot return packages. 

3.   No need to migrate the features of this rule into another rule.  The contents of this rule are subjects for training and education of election officials and suitable for procedures manuals, but not for rulemaking. 

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After you have rephrased the Rationale and Justification:

• Click on  Public Comment Portal: https://www.ncsbe.gov/public-comment-portal-2026-rulemaking-absentee-voting

• Scroll down to the form, Record Your Public Comment.

• Fill in the form with the Rule, Your Name, Your Email, and Comment. 

We are trying to keep track of numbers of folks who commented. Please, when you complete your public comment, email Jane at jane.bilello@gmail.com with the rule(s) you submitted for Public Comment. Thank you.