Unaffiliated voters have overtaken Democrats as the largest voting group in North Carolina, according to the latest data from the N.C. State Board of Elections. The number of unaffiliated voters now stands at 2,503,997, compared to 2,496,434 Democrats and 2,192,073 Republicans. There are 48,654 registered Libertarians. That shift reflects a growing trend in recent years...
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a court filing representing the N.C. State Board of Elections. Legislative defendants in a case challenging North Carolina’s voter ID law are rejecting a proposal to move the case to the state Supreme Court. In a court filing Thursday, they label the proposal a case of...
The N.C. State Board of Elections is asking a three-judge panel to set Feb. 24 as the start date of a new candidate filing period for 2022 elections. In a motion filed Thursday, the board seeks approval to reopen candidate filing for state and local offices at 8 a.m. Feb. 24. The filing period would...
The N.C. State Board of Elections recently removed analog modems from voting equipment in five counties, a move that has drawn criticism from the N.C. House Freedom Caucus. The Freedom Caucus — 25 House members chaired by Rep. Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort — has sought for months to inspect voting equipment to check for internet connections,...
Voters in Robbinsville, a tiny town in North Carolina’s last dry county, have approved the sale of beer and wine, according to unofficial results Tuesday. In addition to local seats, voters in the town of about 600 got to choose whether to allow alcohol sales, excluding hard liquor, such as gin, vodka, or whiskey. Nearly...
The GOP-led North Carolina General Assembly has taken the rare step of “firing” Democrat Attorney General Josh Stein for refusing his constitutional duty to fully represent the legislature in court. Lawmakers allege that Stein refused to file an immediate appeal of a state court ruling that would allow tens of thousands of convicted felons who...
Editors note: This story will be updated as additional reports become available. Carolina Journal recently reported on the second quarter federal fundraising numbers for declared U.S. Senate candidates in North Carolina. But the U.S. Senate race is just one of three big prizes up for grabs in North Carolina in 2022. The other is the...
Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the N.C. State Board of Elections, is blocking attempts by the N.C. House Freedom Caucus to inspect voting machines for possible irregularities. Republicans are crying foul. “What we actually seek to show the public is that the equipment in North Carolina is not a problem,” said Rep. Keith Kidwell,...
Election integrity is a top issue for North Carolina voters. In fact, according to polling on behalf of the John Locke Foundation from March of this year, the issue is only second in importance to ‘jobs and the economy,’ and election integrity eclipses other top issues such as education, healthcare, and immigration. What’s more, an...
The N.C. Senate has already passed its own version of a bill to outlaw collusive settlements. Now, a similar bill is on the move in the N.C. House after the Judiciary Committee gave approval Wednesday, May 5. House Bill 606 would require the state attorney general’s office to get sign-off from the legislature before reaching...
A four-year federal investigation into voter fraud in North Carolina during the 2016 election has ended, netting 70 total charges, including 40 charges of individuals voting illegally. Others were charged with falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register to vote. The investigation highlighted tensions between federal prosecutors appointed by former President Trump and officials with the...
