CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The head of the North Carolina State Board of Elections weighed in about mail-in voting on Tuesday. It’s become a hot button issue — President Trump has repeatedly questioned the validity of mail-in voting.
State election officials addressed mail-in voting and cybersecurity during a virtual seminar held by the University of Southern California.
There’s been a lot of talk about mail-in voting lately, but a top election official described why there won’t be all mail-in voting across North Carolina.
“We did not move to all-mail balloting,” said Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Brinson Bell said the transition to all mail-in voting would be a big behavioral change for voters and it would take more time than they have right now.
“We also listened to our counterparts in other states that do have all-mail balloting, and learned that that shift has taken years, not weeks and not months, so we knew we would have supply chain issues, logistical issues to do that,” Brinson Bell said.
It comes just days after President Trump expressed concerns about mail-in voting.
“I also don't want to have wait three months and then find out that the ballots are all missing and the election doesn't mean anything,” President Trump said.
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Brinson Bell says state election officials have taken other steps to improve election security, including changing to a paper ballot system last year. In addition, state law prohibits voting systems from being connected to the internet.
“Every unit that’s deployed is tested before the election,” said Brinson Bell.
Election officials have also made changes to the overall voting process, such as expanding hours of operation on weekends and making absentee ballots more user friendly.
“It’s night and day compared to what we used to do,” said Brinson Bell.
Brinson Bell says large turnouts with absentee ballots and early voting would make election day go smoother. She said absentee ballots go out on September 4, but there’s a lot of preparation to do before then.
