GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2017

 

SESSION LAW 2018-129

HOUSE BILL 335

 

 

AN ACT to RESTORE EARLY ONE‑STOP VOTING ON THE LAST SATURDAY BEFORE THE 2018 ELECTION AND TO ALLOW FLEXIBILITY IN EARLY ONE‑STOP VOTING SITES ON INHABITED ISLANDS WITH NO BRIDGE ACCESS TO THAT ISLAND.

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

SECTION 1.(a)  G.S. 163A‑1300(b), as amended by S.L. 2018‑112, reads as rewritten:

"(b)      Not earlier than the third Wednesday before an election, in which absentee ballots are authorized, in which a voter seeks to vote and not later than 7:00 P.M. on the last Friday1:00 P.M. on the last Saturday before that election, the voter shall appear in person only at the office of the county board of elections, except as provided in G.S. 163A‑1303. A county board of elections shall conduct one‑stop voting on the last Saturday before the election from 8:00 A.M. until 1:00 P.M. and may conduct one‑stop early voting until 5:00 P.M. on that Saturday. That voter shall enter the voting enclosure at the board office through the appropriate entrance and shall at once state his or her name and place of residence to an authorized member or employee of the board and present photo identification in accordance with G.S. 163A‑1145. In a primary election, the voter shall also state the political party with which the voter affiliates and in whose primary the voter desires to vote, or if the voter is an unaffiliated voter permitted to vote in the primary of a particular party under G.S. 163A‑989, the voter shall state the name of the authorizing political party in whose primary he wishes to vote. The board member or employee to whom the voter gives this information shall announce the name and residence of the voter in a distinct tone of voice. After examining the registration records, an employee of the board shall state whether the person seeking to vote is duly registered. If the voter is found to be registered that voter may request that the authorized member or employee of the board furnish the voter with an application form as specified in G.S. 163A‑1391. The voter shall complete the application in the presence of the authorized member or employee of the board, and shall deliver the application to that person."

SECTION 1.(b)  G.S. 163A‑1303(c)(4), as amended by S.L. 2018‑112, reads as rewritten:

"(4)      If the county board of elections opens one‑stop sites on Saturdays other than the last Saturday before the election during the period required by G.S. 163A‑1300(b), then all one‑stop sites shall be open for the same number of hours uniformly throughout the county on those Saturdays."

SECTION 1.(c)  This section is effective when it becomes law and expires January 1, 2019.

SECTION 2.  G.S. 163A‑1303, as amended by S.L. 2018‑112, is amended by adding a new subsection to read:

"(d)      Notwithstanding subsection (c) of this section, a county board of elections by unanimous vote of all its members may propose a Plan for Implementation providing for a site in that county for absentee ballots to be applied for and cast with days and hours that vary from the county board of elections, or its alternate, and other additional one‑stop sites in that county. If the county board of elections is unable to reach unanimity in favor of a Plan for Implementation, a member or members of the county board of elections may petition the State Board to adopt a plan for the county and the State Board may adopt a Plan for Implementation for that county. However, any Plan of Implementation approved under this subsection shall provide for uniform location, days, and hours for that one site throughout the period required by subsection (a) of this section. This subsection applies only to a county which includes a barrier island that meets the following conditions:

(1)        It has permanent inhabitation of residents residing in an unincorporated area.

(2)        It is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by a coastal sound.

(3)        It contains either a National Wildlife Refuge or a portion of a National Seashore.

(4)        It has no bridge access to the mainland of the county and is only accessible by marine vessel."

SECTION 3.  Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 29th day of June, 2018.

 

 

                                                                    s/  Daniel J. Forest

                                                                         President of the Senate

 

 

                                                                    s/  Tim Moore

                                                                         Speaker of the House of Representatives

 

 

                                                                    s/  Roy Cooper

                                                                         Governor

 

 

Approved 9:32 a.m. this 9th day of July, 2018