NORTH CAROLINA — The state board of elections reports more than 386,000 absentee ballots have been cast so far. However, data shows absentee ballots from minority groups are being rejected at a higher rate.
“How come I haven't received any notice, because I thought that there would be a notice that said, 'yes, we got it,' ” 82-year-old Mecklenburg County voter Melvin Reed says.
State board of elections data shows, while thousands say “accepted,” there are still a fair amount of absentee ballots considered “spoiled” or ones marked “pending cure,” which means they are on hold due to errors.
“They confirmed that my wife, Marjorie, we witnessed each other's ballots, she did not put down the address, I did, so, they rejected her ballot,” Reed explained.
Reed says he mailed their ballots soon after they got them back on September 8, but the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections didn't receive them until nearly a month later, on October 3.
He says they weren't aware of Ballot Trax, the website where voters can track their absentee ballot's status.
“I couldn't remember whether I had signed it or not, and I was kinda taken aback cause I thought for sure I had signed it,” Marjorie Reed explained.
The board of elections said she didn't fill in the address line when she signed as her husband's witness.
“There's so many things that you know it asks, that I probably forgot,” she says.
Updated data from the U.S. Election Project shows, while absentee ballots from white voters in the state are being rejected at a rate of 0.8 percent, the same rate for ballots from minority voters is much higher. Asian-Americans are currently at 1.7 percent, Hispanics at 2.6 percent, Native-Americans at 2.8 percent, and absentee ballots from Black voters so far have been rejected at a rate of 3.5 percent.
“There are places on the state board of elections website and there are other people who can provide information about how to teach people how to do it, or to show people how to do it,” Gov. Roy Cooper said.
On Tuesday, he encouraged voters to take advantage of online resources for absentee ballot completion. He suggested voters without internet access call their local board of elections sooner rather than later.
“If the ballot is not filled out correctly and is not properly witnessed then the state board of elections is not gonna have it submitted, regardless of who it is,” Cooper added.
It's a process the Reeds have learned is vulnerable to human error.
“So many confusing things going on,” Reed says.
He's just relieved they have enough time to sort things out.
“What's at stake is the value of the ballot,” he said.
Absentee ballot requests must be received by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27, and they must be returned by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3. After completing the ballot in the presence of a witness, who only has to be 18 years old, seal the ballot in the return envelope.
Here is the part where people get tripped up:
The voter must then complete and sign the absentee application and certificate on the ballot return envelope, and the witness has to complete the space designated as “witnesses' certification.”
The witness must sign it and write in their address. A phone number will also help the board of elections contact you if there is a problem.
It's important to note that any ballot with a status of “pending cure” means there is some sort of mistake or issue.
Due to several lawsuits, late last week the state board of elections instructed local boards to put those ballots aside until the legal issues are resolved.