September 22, 2020

North Carolina Alliance for Retired Americans Reaches Agreement with State to Make Voting Easier During COVID-19 Pandemic

Raleigh – Older voters throughout North Carolina will be able to vote more easily in November as a result of a significant voting rights agreement between the North Carolina Alliance for Retired Americans and the State of North Carolina being filed today.

Under the agreement:

• A ballot that is postmarked by Election Day that is received up to 9 days after the election will be counted;
• Voters will be allowed to “cure” any missing witness information on the container envelope by submitting a cure affidavit in person, by email, or by mail; and
• Voters can submit their absentee ballots curbside by providing their name orally, without waiting in line with other one-stop voters, thus alleviating long lines and potential exposure to COVID -19.

The case, North Carolina Alliance for Retired Americans v. North Carolina State Board of Elections, was filed  with the support of the National Redistricting Foundation and the Right to Vote Foundation.

“This agreement is a victory for all North Carolina voters, and is especially important for the 1.3 million who are over the age of 65. As a direct result of this suit, every North Carolina voter can cast a vote by mail and know that it will be counted,” said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans. “We are particularly pleased that Postal Service delays will not prevent a ballot from being counted and that there will be a simple way for voters to drop off their ballots curbside.”

“Seniors should not have to worry about safety of voting or encounter overly burdensome impediments to casting a ballot,” said William Dworkin, President of the North Carolina Alliance for Retired Americans. “Understanding that there are alternatives to returning ballots by mail will make an enormous difference and relieve a lot of anxiety for a lot of seniors.”

The suit alleged that the State of North Carolina’s vote by mail requirements are burdensome and will force older voters to choose between protecting their health or casting a ballot they know will be counted.

A copy of the agreement can be found here.

This year the Alliance for Retired Americans, working with its state chapters, has filed lawsuits to protect vote by mail and absentee voters in Florida, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin, in addition to North Carolina.

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Contact: Lisa Cutler, lcutler@retiredamericans.org