RALEIGH – Today on a vote of 116-3, the NC House of Representatives approved House Bill 1169, a measure incorporating a variety of key recommendations from election administrators and democracy advocates to make voting safer and more accessible amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill now goes to the NC Senate for consideration.

Primary sponsors of House Bill 1169 include Rep. Holly Grange (R-New Hanover) and Rep. Destin Hall (R-Caldwell), who are both co-chairs of the NC House Committee on Elections and Ethics Law, along with committee members Rep. Allison Dahle (D-Wake) and Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford). In all, there are 41 bipartisan sponsors of the House bill.

在以下提案中 众议院法案 1169:

• 将缺席选票见证人要求从两人减少到一人
• 允许选民通过电子邮件、在线门户、传真、邮寄或亲自提交缺席选票申请表（目前，北卡罗来纳州选民只能通过邮寄或亲自提交缺席选票申请表）
• 让各县在指派投票工作人员方面拥有更大的灵活性，从而更好地解决选区可能出现的投票工作人员短缺问题
• 分配州配套资金，以利用联邦 CARES 法案和 HAVA 资金
• 向各县拨款，为新冠肺炎疫情期间的选举做准备，包括购买投票站使用的个人防护设备，以及增加投票站工作人员的招聘和薪酬
• 为选举安全和灾难发生时的运营连续性分配资金

“While not perfect and more could be done, this bill is a significant and positive step toward ensuring every North Carolina voter is able to safely and securely cast a ballot in this year’s elections,” said 鲍勃·菲利普斯 (Bob Phillips)，Common Cause NC 的执行董事。 “We applaud the state House for this bipartisan effort. And we encourage the Senate to likewise work across the aisle to pass House Bill 1169 and prepare our state to conduct elections that are safe, accessible and fair for all.”

Common Cause NC 是一个无党派草根组织，致力于维护美国民主的核心价值观。