North Carolina HB 691: Allow Pharmacists to Distribute Certain Medicines.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 691

Short Title: Voter Protection and Reliance Act. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Rubin, Ball, Dahle, and Baker (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 3, 2025
*H691-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO PROTECT THE RIGHT OF A VOTER TO HAVE THE VOTER'S BALLOT 2
COUNTED AND TO PROMOTE ELECTION TIMELINESS AND INTEGRITY. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1. Chapter 163 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new 5
Article to read: 6
"Article 15B. 7
"Election Litigation Timeliness and Integrity of Cast Votes. 8
"§ 163-182.50. Title; purpose. 9
(a) This Article shall be known and may be cited as the "Voter Protection and Reliance 10
Act." 11
(b) The General Assembly finds that a voter relies on the election procedures that are in 12
place and established when the voter casts the voter's ballot. Belated changes to voting 13
procedures, after a voter has relied on those procedures while voting, violate the voter's 14
good-faith reliance and right to vote. To that end, the purpose of this Article is to ensure 15
challenges to the rules and practices governing elections are made well in advance of each 16
election by (i) prohibiting the discounting of ballots cast in compliance with the laws established 17
and understood at the time of an election and (ii) accelerating litigation filed shortly before a 18
pending election or after an election is held. 19
"§ 163-182.51. Right to vote under prevailing law and procedures. 20
(a) Every citizen of this State has the right to cast a ballot and have their vote counted 21
based on the laws and established election procedures in place on election day. No law or 22
interpretation of law that was not effective, or election procedure that was not established, on 23
election day shall operate to deny or abridge this right. 24
(b) No administrative body, court, or official may exclude a vote from canvass, fail to 25
certify an election, withhold a certificate of election, or fail to seat a prevailing candidate by 26
excluding votes based on a law, judicial ruling, or legal interpretation that was not in effect on 27
election day or an election procedure that was not established by election day. 28
(c) In any civil action filed in a State court, a protest before the State Board or a county 29
board of elections, or other proceeding, the adjudicator shall deem a law effective and an election 30
procedure established when either of the following applies: 31
(1) It is a constitutional provision adopted, statute enacted, or regulation codified 32
before election day and as it was administered in any directive or 33
administrative memorandum on election day. 34

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 691-First Edition
(2) It is a directive, administrative memorandum, including a "numbered memo," 1
procedure, or established pattern or practice of the State Board or a county 2
board of elections that was in place on election day. 3
(d) In applying the provisions of this section, the adjudicator shall construe facts and draw 4
inferences in favor of finding that the election procedure was established, based on voter reliance 5
and the availability of legislative or judicial recourse before election day. If election procedures 6
were allegedly in conflict on election day, the adjudicator shall construe those procedures in favor 7
of the voter based on an understanding of the procedures as relied on by that voter. 8
(e) In the event there is a change in election procedure during the absentee or early voting 9
period or during election day, the adjudicator shall apply the established election procedure in 10
effect at the time a given ballot was cast, an application was made for a provisional ballot, or an 11
absentee ballot was submitted by the voter. 12
(f) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent any eligible voter from 13
challenging the unlawful denial of the voter's right to register to vote, cast a ballot, or have the 14
voter's ballot counted in any election. 15
"§ 163-182.52. Expedited procedures for litigation within certain time frame of an election. 16
(a) This section applies to (i) any covered action filed within 90 days before the earliest 17
date absentee ballots may be mailed for an election or (ii) a covered action filed post-election 18
that seeks to challenge the outcome of an election. For purposes of this section, "covered action" 19
means any civil action filed in a State court, as well as a protest at the State Board or a county 20
board of elections level, challenging the general applicability, meaning, interpretation, validity, 21
or understanding of any established election procedure, as described in G.S. 163-182.51(c). 22
(b) Jurisdiction. – All covered actions instituted under this section shal