Republican Led General Assembly Passes Election Integrity Legislation, Stein Signals Veto
This week, the Republican-led General Assembly passed two pieces of legislation that improves the integrity of North Carolina’s election process. House Bill 958 “Election Law Changes” and House Bill 834 “SBOE Administrative Changes” passed along party line votes in both the North Carolina House and Senate. Governor Stein signaled his intent to veto the legislation, which the General Assembly would attempt to override in November session.
House Election Law Chair Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke) said, “North Carolinians want elections they can trust, and House Republicans have consistently advanced practical reforms to improve election integrity. These bills build on that work by making our elections even more secure and giving voters even more confidence when they head to the polls.”
The effective date for this legislation is for after the 2026 midterm election.
House Bill 958 improves election security and administration by:
Strengthening voter verification through proof of citizenship requirements and interstate data-sharing to help keep voter rolls accurate and prevent duplicate registrations.
Improving voter roll integrity by requiring the removal of deceased and other ineligible voters.
Increasing accountability by requiring the State Auditor to conduct election systems audits after each general election.
Preserving political party integrity by requiring candidates to be affiliated with a party for at least 365 days before seeking its nomination, unless granted a waiver by the party.
Making elections more efficient by reducing the early voting period for primaries and runoffs from 17 to 10 days.
Cutting unnecessary red tape by raising campaign finance reporting thresholds while maintaining transparency.
Strengthening transparency and accountability by empowering county boards to quickly address concerns involving precinct officials and allowing nonpartisan candidates to appoint election observers.
Modernizing election administration by requiring the latest federal census data for redistricting and improving how voter registration applications are processed.
House Bill 834 also improves fairness by:
Extending the deadline for voters to correct registration issues after an election from three to five days.
Allowing judicial review of State Board of Elections decisions to be heard either in Wake County or in the County where the plaintiff lives.
