High Country Times

A voter advocacy group mailed 80,000 absentee ballot request forms to North Carolina voters without realizing they would be invalid because of pre-filled information.

The mistaken ballots were sent from the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Voter Information, Yancey County officials said in a recent news release. The voting advocacy group does intend to send approximately 400,000 additional absentee ballots, but without pre-filled information to North Carolina residents. Once learning about the error, the organization stopped sending the forms until it rectified the problem. 

Legislators approved a law in 2019 prohibits election officials from accepting absentee request forms with pre-filled voter information. The State Board of Elections has instructed county boards of elections to not process initial 80,000 forms, Yancey County said. 

If a county board of election receives an invalid request form, it will send a letter to the voter informing them of the issue along with a valid blank absentee request form, Yancey County said in the news release.

North Carolina State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell told Yancey County that it is up to advocacy groups to ensure their mailings do not confuse voters or affect their ability to vote in an election.

“We will do our best to review mailings and other voting information distributed by third parties when requested and when resources allow for it,” Bell said in the news release. “However, it’s ultimately up to advocacy groups to ensure their mailings do not confuse voters or potentially affect their ability to vote in an election.”

Registered voters in North Carolina can request an absentee ballot. The request form can be downloaded or picked up at any county board of elections.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the November general election is Tuesday, Oct. 27.