Absentee ballots to be sent to military and overseas voters Sept. 20, others on Sept. 24

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The N.C. State Board of Elections has announced that all 100 county boards of elections are being required to send absentee ballots to eligible military and overseas citizens who requested them for this year’s election on Friday, Sept. 20.

As for other absentee ballots, they will be sent starting Sept. 24.

The board says that the schedule makes sure the state meets federal requirements to distribute ballots to voters under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act by the 45th day before the election, which is Sept. 21.

“County boards were prepared to send absentee ballots out on Sept. 6, the deadline for absentee ballots to be sent under state law. However, rulings by the N.C. Court of Appeals and N.C. Supreme Court required election officials to remove the We The People party line from the presidential contest on the ballot, including the party’s presidential nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and vice-presidential nominee, Nicole Shanahan,” a board announcement states.

Any registered voter can request an absentee ballot online by Oct. 29.

“However, election officials urge voters who wish to vote by mail to request their ballot soon, so it can be completed and returned to the voter’s county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. Election Day — Nov. 5. Through Thursday, more than 166,000 voters — including more than 13,600 military and overseas voters — have requested ballots in North Carolina,” a board announcement states.

The board says that over the past week, state and county staff along with voting system and printing vendors have been working to code, design, proof and print new ballots without the We The People party, but due to the timelines, the state board concluded that the only way to meet the federal deadline for overseas and military voters would require splitting up the deadlines.