(The Center Square) – One election integrity law on Monday morning reached the final day for action and another has been signed into law.
First-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein signed SBOE Administrative Changes (House Bill 834) into law last week. He did not take action on Election Law Changes (House Bill 958) that was presented to him on Aug. 7.
State law allows 10 days – day of presentation is Day 0 – for the governor to sign, veto or allow to become law without his signature.
SBOE Administrative Changes makes changes to measures about ballot counting and missing signatures of voters. SBOE is the acronym for State Board of Elections.
Stein’s hesitancy for the other bill is believed to be tied to Democrats’ foundation in the most days possible for voters. Election Law Changes would change the number of days voters could cast ballots in person for primaries and special elections.
Early in-person voting periods for primaries, primary runoffs and special elections would drop to 10 days rather than 17.
The bill also requires use of federal databases and information from other states to help remove deceased voters from the rolls. And the state auditor’s office would conduct post-election audits of county election systems at least once every six years.
“No findings in audits under this section shall be used as grounds to challenge the final result of an election,” said Sen. Warren Daniel, R-Burke, amid the floor debate.
Rather, the analysis would be of voter list maintenance, voting equipment tests, ballot records, chain-of-custody documentation, and handling of absentee and provisional ballots.
North Carolina in 2023 expressly, through the state budget, rejected joining the Electronic Registration Information Center that Senate Democrats pushed. The state uses data sharing agreements with the federal SAVE database and North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles.
SAVE is an acronym for Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements. It is run by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Political party integrity, supporters say, is preserved with a requirement of candidates to affiliated with their respective party at least 365 days before seeking nomination unless the party grants a waiver.
The requirement to use the latest federal census data for redistricting and improving how registrations applications are processed is a step toward modernization, say Republican lawmakers.
Stein signed three other bills.
In attaching a signature to Regulatory Reform Act of 2026, known also as Senate Bill 445, Stein said, “North Carolina is growing rapidly, and the cost of housing is increasing. We need to build more housing units of all types to drive down rents and mortgages. This bill cuts red tape to help produce more houses and apartments and deliver results for North Carolinians. It also makes it easier for families to install solar panels or battery systems to save on their utility bills.”
When he signed 2026 Budget Technical Corrections – II, known also as House Bill 268, Stein said, “This bill strengthens disaster relief, teacher workforce pipelines, and economic development programs. It supports the Small Business Infrastructure Program and the Division of Community Revitalization, which are working tirelessly to support western North Carolina recovery. It also enables public schools to start teacher apprenticeship programs as early as this year and supports access to loans for North Carolina teaching fellows. I regret that the General Assembly saw fit to include some petty provisions that undermine the executive branch and impede the work of government on behalf of North Carolinians.”
Also signed was Budget Technical Corrections Modifications (House Bill 562).
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