North Carolina Governor Josh Stein is warning that strict new Republican-backed rules for voting by mail are contributing to an increase in rejected absentee ballots.
Stein, a Democrat, said the new rules recently approved by the North Carolina State Board of Elections, led by a Republican majority, are "leading to thousands more absentee ballots being rejected this election.” In a post on X, Stein said the rejection rate was roughly twice as high as in 2022.
However, a spokesperson for the State Board of Elections told Newsweek on Thursday that preliminary statewide data shows only a “slight increase” in spoiled ballot rates compared to the same stage of the 2022 midterms cycle.
“It’s infuriating," Stein wrote in the post on X on Tuesday, "North Carolinians, please make a plan to vote this year, in person if possible. And if you’re voting by mail, make sure you seal both envelopes on your ballot. Don’t let them take away your vote.”
Newsweek has contacted Stein’s office for comment via email.
The election marks the first statewide test of new absentee voting rules, including a requirement that voters place their completed ballot inside a sealed inner envelope before placing it inside an outer envelope. Another rule change limits who may assist absentee voters with their ballots to “near-relatives.”
It comes amid heightened tensions over election administration ahead of November’s midterm elections, where control of Congress is at stake. Even a relatively small increase in mail ballot rejections could be consequential in close statewide contests.
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President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to restrict mail voting, with supporters arguing that safeguards are needed to maintain confidence in elections and raising concerns about voter-roll accuracy, ballot-verification procedures, and the possibility that ballots could be issued to ineligible voters. Critics say stricter requirements risk confusion among the electorate and could disenfranchise eligible voters.
At the same time, Republicans secured redrawn maps in North Carolina and several other states after Trump urged Republican-led states to take up mid-decade redistricting in a bid to help preserve the GOP’s slim House majority. California was the only state where Democrats enacted a map to help the party flip GOP-held seats, though the party also benefited from a court ruling in Utah that created a Democratic-leaning district.
Trump has rallied in states including North Carolina, a battleground state that Democrats view as a top opportunity to gain a Senate seat on their path to gain control of the chamber. Trump rallied in Greenville, North Carolina, earlier this week to build support for Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley, who is facing former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper for outgoing Republican Senator Thom Tillis’s seat in one of the most closely watched contests of the midterms.
How Many Ballots Are Being Rejected?
Jason Tyson, a spokesperson for the North Carolina State Board of Elections, told Newsweek on Thursday that preliminary data shows a “slight increase” in the rate of spoiled ballots compared to the same point in the 2022 midterm cycle.
“Preliminary State Board data shows a slight increase in spoiled ballot rates in 2026 (3.1%) compared to 2022 (2.6%) at this stage in each election,” Tyson said.
“Ballots can be spoiled for many reasons, including at the request of the voter (damaged ballot, spilled coffee on it, etc.) or for certain deficiencies related to ballot envelope issues, or missing witness, assistant, or notary signatures and information.”
That came after Democracy Docket reported earlier this week that some Democratic strongholds in North Carolina are seeing absentee ballot rejection rates as high as 7 or 8 percent.
The report cited data from the nonprofit Common Cause North Carolina from 27 of the state’s 100 counties, which revealed ballots were so far being rejected at a rate of around 3 percent. The report noted that the rate was double the rejection rate—about 1.5 percent—that the entire county saw in the 2022 midterm election.
Based on data from Common Cause, Democracy Docket estimated that if 3 percent of ballots statewide are rejected, it would mean about 3,942 ballots thrown out.
Tyson said the state board did not “immediately have the data that the published reports are based on.”
He added that county boards are “given detailed instructions on what to do when deficiencies are identified with absentee ballots. The goal of this is to ensure that every voter can either vote a new absentee ballot or vote in person at an early voting site or on Election Day.
“Importantly, we continue to stress to all absentee voters the importance of closely following all instructions that come with their ballot to ensure they comply with the law, and to return their ballots as soon as possible to ensure there is time to cure any deficiencies or receive a new ballot.”
Some election officials have reported that higher numbers of absentee ballots were being rejected due to the new requirements.
Gerry Cohen, a member of the Wake County Board of Elections, wrote on X last week that 2.5 percent of absentee ballots were being rejected because voters had failed to seal the inner envelope.
“If you are one of 107,337 voters with an unvoted NC absentee ballot, make sure when you return it that the inner envelope is sealed and you have it properly witnessed,” Cohen wrote on X on Thursday.
He advised voters to mail their ballots by October 26 or return them in person during business hours through November 3.
North Carolina Senate Race: Michael Whatley Faces Roy Cooper
North Carolina is a critical battleground for both parties.
The state last elected a Democrat to the Senate in 2008, but Cooper has given Democrats arguably their best chance of winning this year. He was first elected governor in 2016 and reelected in 2020, winning his race while Trump carried the state in the presidential election.
He will face Whatley, a staunch Trump ally and former Republican National Committee chairman who also served as chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party.
The race has become increasingly challenging for the GOP, with Cooper seeking to turn the contest into a referendum on the president's record and the direction of his administration.
Whatley, who is making his first bid for public office, has trailed Cooper in fundraising and polls throughout the campaign. Republicans have the edge in ad spending, but the party has also begun pulling funds out of the race, with the Republican Senate Leadership Fund spending originally intended to support Whatley now being redirected to other contests.
Dolly Parton's Sister Reports Voting Issues
Stella Parton, the sister of country music icon Dolly Parton, shared on social media that she had trouble casting her ballot during early voting in Tennessee, adding to reports from voters who say they encountered issues with voting machines.
Parton, a vocal Democrat, made multiple posts about her issues voting early in the midterm election.
"Again, I remind you to double check your ballot before you print it out and put it through the machine. I finally called over a poll worker when my ballot kept flipping to the wrong candidate on the third try," Parton wrote on Facebook Wednesday.
"No, this is not a joke! But what good is your vote if the machines are 'fixed' this is the issue here.”
Election administrators said voters can verify their selections on the review screen to correct any errors before casting their ballots.
"Tennessee's voting systems are designed with multiple safeguards to help ensure that ballots are recorded consistent with voter intent," Tennessee Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins told The Tennessean regarding the reported issues.
All of Tennessee’s 95 counties use voting machines that generate a voter-verifiable paper trail or use paper ballots, according to Verified Voting.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Cannon and Gray R. Thomas