Where We Stand On Voting Rights
We Hold To These Principles:
Government should be accountable, ethical, equitable, and just for all citizens. Government should operate in a manner that is open and transparent for all citizens.
Citizen participation on state, county, and municipal boards and commissions should be encouraged.
Efforts that can suppress the vote in any form must be opposed.
Measures that safeguard the rights of the voter are paramount. The League supports simplifying the voting process to encourage clear and democratic election procedures.
Election laws in North Carolina should enable all citizens to participate fully in the democratic process.
In support of these principles, we call on state and county boards of election and the General Assembly to:
Eliminate photo ID and documentary proof-of-citizenship requirements.
End felony disenfranchisement of citizens.
Develop and fund a statewide communications plan to help citizens in every county vote easily and simply.
Improve database matching for statewide voter registration so that we eliminate unnecessary and inaccurate purges from the lists of eligible voters.
Improve voter registration options including automatic voter registration and access to online voter registration.
Expand early voting locations and allow flexibility in hours of operation to meet the needs of all voters.
Make voting systems secure, accurate, re-countable, accessible, and transparent. All voting systems should contain a voter-verifiable paper ballot which becomes the official record of the voter’s intent. Vote totals must be able to be verified by an independent hand count of the paper ballot/record and subject to routine and risk-limiting audits.
Maintain access to safe voting opportunities through no-excuse absentee voting, eliminate witness requirements and/or signature-matching, and continue due-process protections for voters using vote by mail. Expand options for returning absentee ballots.
Prevent election day barriers by allowing out-of-precinct voting for eligible, registered voters. Facilitate same-day registration opportunities and strengthen provisional voting options.
Improve polling place management and poll-worker training.
Elections & COVID-19
In the wake of the pandemic, the League issued the following positions regarding the 2020 election:
May 22, 2020 - The League of Women Voters of North Carolina, along with other plaintiffs, filed a lawsuit regarding voting and COVID-19 circumstances in the upcoming November 2020 election. Read the complaint here.
March 19, 2020 - Coalition of organizations, including LWVNC, sends “Recommendations for Ensuring Election Continuity and Voting Access While Responding to COVID-19” to the NC Sate Board of Elections. Read the coalition’s letter.
March 16, 2020 - LWVUS Calls on States to Expand Absentee & Mail-in Voting. Read the LWVUS press release.
Election Technology
Accurate Voting Records
LWV-Wake’s report “Employing Technology to Ensure Fair and Accurate Election Records” makes specific recommendations for adopting a set of established cybersecurity best practices and for joining other states in a nation-wide consortium for sharing and matching voter data.
You can access the report as a brief fact sheet, full report, or informational webinar.