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NC HOUSE BILL 958 has passed the NC Senate. It's looking like this election bill will make it to the governor's desk. He will veto it.

👀The bill requires post-election audits by the State Auditor —
examining voter rolls, election equipment/testing, chain of custody, absentee…

— Margo (@MargoinWNC) July 28, 2026

NC HOUSE BILL 958 has passed the NC Senate. It's looking like this election bill will make it to the governor's desk. He will veto it.

The bill requires post-election audits by the State Auditor —
examining voter rolls, election equipment/testing, chain of custody, absentee and provisional ballots, and compliance.

Opens up ballot challenges — Expands opportunities to challenge early-voting and absentee ballots after Election Day (deadlines typically in the range of the third to fifth business day after the election, varying by version). Challenges can be filed by ANY registered voters in the county on grounds of ineligibility or non-compliance; they are heard during canvass, with provisions for provisional treatment, record-keeping, and appeals.

Voter registration and list maintenance — Strengthens citizenship affirmation requirements (including at DMV/license offices). Enhances use of death records, federal databases, and data-sharing for identifying and removing ineligible voters (deceased, non-citizens, etc.), with processes for challenges and notice/cure opportunities. Includes timely forwarding of applications and related administrative rules.

Candidate eligibility for party primaries — Increases the required period of party registration from 90 days to 365 days before filing (with possible waivers from the state party executive committee in some cases).

Campaign finance reporting thresholds — Raises various dollar thresholds (examples from versions include higher exemptions for small local/county/municipal candidates, independent expenditures, non-itemized amounts, and 48-hour reports for large late contributions). Some adjustments apply to political party committee sales of goods/services.

Other administrative changes — Authority and processes for suspending/removing precinct officials, enhanced training/certification requirements, adjustments to early-voting periods or municipal election scheduling in certain cases, use of federal decennial census data for certain local district boundaries, clarifications on absentee ballot handling/curing of deficiencies (House versions often extended cure windows), and related election-board and observer rules.