CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There was a strict deadline of 7:30 pm on Election Day to have your absentee ballots returned in North Carolina. If they were not in on time, they would not be counted.
So how many ballots showed up late?
OUR SOURCES:
WHAT WE FOUND
In 2023, a new North Carolina law was enacted that stated absentee ballots received after 7:30 p.m. on Election Day would not be counted even if postmarked before then.
This removed the previous 3-day grace period for absentee ballots that were postmarked on or before Election Day.
Common Cause cites the North Carolina State Board of Elections, stating more than 1,125 North Carolina voters had their absentee ballots thrown out in the March 2024 primary because they did not meet the deadline. Of those, 750 could have been counted if that grace period was still in place.
We have yet to receive the final number of late ballots received across the state in Tuesday’s election as some are still showing up. However, here in Mecklenburg County, Michael Dickerson said so far, he has received 10 ballots that did not make the deadline and would not be counted.
The U.S. Postal Service did send out a release that said the average time to deliver a ballot from the voter back to local election boards in North Carolina was 1 and a half days.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.