SALISBURY, N.C. — North Carolina's election system is getting a closer look.
The bipartisan Commission on the Future of North Carolina Elections is reviewing how votes are cast, hoping to improve the process.
Among their priorities are improving redistricting, updating the decades-old campaign finance system, and addressing challenges facing election staff.
“We look pretty good," Former Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts who co-leads the initiative said. "However, there are some things that remain a challenge. A couple of times people were followed home. They were yelled at. They had disrespectful words in the polling place or the election office.”
So far, the commission has spent around eight months examining North Carolina's election system.
They're hoping the more than 100-page report will help calm tensions as the nation faces a heightened risk of political violence, including the attempted assassination of Former President Donald Trump.
"What happened on Saturday, I really saw bipartisan consensus in terms of condemnation of what happened," Committee Chair and Opinion Editor for the Fayetteville Observer Myron Pitts said. "We want the election to be decided by ballots and not by bullets. It was a message conveyed by our President, President Biden and right on down the line and I completely agree with that.”
While the process is ongoing, the commission has found, that overall, the system is working as it should.
"A lot of people just don’t realize the detail and the in-depth work that goes on behind the scenes and so the more we can spread that word about how well-run our elections are, the better," Committee Chair and UNC Charlotte Professor Mary Jo McGowan said.
They plan to release their final analysis to the public and the General Assembly in early 2025.
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