North Carolina HB 958: Election Law Changes.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 6
HOUSE BILL 958
Committee Substitute Favorable 6/26/25
Committee Substitute #2 Favorable 7/31/25
Committee Substitute #3 Favorable 6/16/26
Committee Substitute #4 Favorable 6/24/26
Sixth Edition Engrossed 6/30/26

Short Title: Election Law Changes. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
April 14, 2025
*H958-v-6*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO MAKE VARIOUS CHANGES REGARDING ELECTION LAWS. 2
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 3
4
PART I. REVISIONS TO BALLOT COUNTING PROCEDURE 5
SECTION 1.1.(a) G.S. 163-182.2(a)(4) is recodified as G.S. 163-182.2(a2). 6
SECTION 1.1.(b) G.S. 163-182.2(a)(6) is recodified as G.S. 163-182.2(a3). 7
SECTION 1.1.(c) G.S. 163-182.2, as amended by this section, reads as rewritten: 8
"§ 163-182.2. Initial counting of official ballots. 9
(a) The initial counting of official ballots cast at the precinct on election day and under 10
Part 5 of Article 14A of this Chapter shall be conducted according to the following principles: 11
(1) Vote counting of ballots cast at the precinct on election day shall occur 12
immediately after the polls close and shall be continuous until completed. If 13
ballots cast under Part 5 of Article 14A of this Chapter are counted 14
electronically, that count shall commence at the time the polls close. If ballots 15
cast under Part 5 of Article 14A of this Chapter are paper ballots counted 16
manually, that count shall commence at the same time as mail-in absentee 17
ballots cast under Article 20 or Article 21A of this Chapter are counted. 18
(2) Vote counting at the precinct shall be conducted with the participation of 19
precinct officials of all political parties then present. Vote counting at the 20
county board of elections shall be conducted in the presence or under the 21
supervision of board members of all political parties then present. 22
(3) Any member of the public wishing to witness the vote count at any level shall 23
be allowed to do so. No witness shall interfere with the orderly counting of 24
the official ballots. Witnesses shall not participate in the official counting of 25
official ballots. 26
(4) Recodified. 27
(5) Precinct officials shall provide a preliminary report of the vote counting on 28
election day to the county board of elections as quickly as possible. The 29
preliminary report shall be unofficial, has no binding effect upon the official 30
county canvass to follow, and shall include the number of provisional ballots 31
cast in that precinct. 32

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 958-Sixth Edition
(6) Recodified. 1
(a1) The initial counting of official ballots cast under Part 5 of Article 14A of this Chapter 2
shall be conducted according to the following principles: 3
(1) Vote counting shall occur at the time and place stated in a resolution adopted 4
by the county board at least two weeks prior to election day, provided that the 5
time stated in the resolution is between 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. on election 6
day. The county board shall not reveal the result of the count prior to the close 7
of polls on election day. 8
(2) Vote counting shall be conducted in the presence or under the supervision of 9
county board members of all political parties then present. 10
(3) Any member of the public wishing to witness the vote count shall be allowed 11
to do so. No witness shall interfere with the orderly counting of the official 12
ballots. Witnesses shall not participate in the counting of official ballots. 13
(4) County boards may review for approval any provisional official ballots and 14
may take preparatory steps for the count of such ballots at a meeting held by 15
the county board prior to election day, pursuant to a resolution adopted by the 16
county board at least two weeks in advance of the meeting, as long as the 17
preparatory steps do not reveal the result of the count prior to the close of polls 18
on election day. 19
(a2) If the county board finds that an individual voting a provisional official ballot (i) was 20
registered in the county as provided in 163-82.1, (ii) voted in the proper precinct under 21
G.S. 163-55 and G.S. 163-57, and (iii) was otherwise eligible to vote, the provisional official 22
ballots shall be counted by the county board no later than 5:00 P.M. on the third fifth business 23
day after the election. Except as provided in G.S. 163-82.15(e), if the county board finds that an 24
individual voting a provisional official ballot (i) did not vote in the proper precinct under 25
G.S. 163-55 and G.S. 163-57, (ii) is not registered in the county as provided in G.S. 163-82.1, or 26
(iii) is otherwise not eligible to vote, the ballot shall not be counted. If a voter was properly 27
registered to vote in the election by the county board, no mistake of an election official in giving 28
the voter a ballot or in failing to comply with G.S. 163-82.15 or G.S. 163-166.11 shall serve to 29
prevent the counting of the vote on an