RALEIGH – A day after the NC General Assembly approved House Bill 1169 on a bipartisan vote, Gov. Roy Cooper signed the measure into law on Friday. The bill incorporates a variety of key recommendations from election administrators and democracy advocates to make voting safer and more accessible amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the provisions in 众议院法案 1169:

• 将缺席选票见证人要求从两人减少到一人
• Allows voters to submit an absentee ballot request form via email, online portal, fax, mail or in person (prior to this bill, NC voters could submit an absentee ballot request form only by mail or in person)
• 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

“As we’ve seen recently in states such as Georgia and Wisconsin, we face unprecedented challenges in holding elections amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The clock is ticking with less than five months before Election Day and it is crucial that North Carolina prepares now to meet those challenges. While it is not perfect and more could be done, House Bill 1169 is a significant and positive step toward ensuring every voter is able to safely and securely cast a ballot in this year’s elections. We applaud this bipartisan effort,” said 鲍勃·菲利普斯 (Bob Phillips)，Common Cause NC 的执行董事。 “The key next step is to make sure all voters are aware of these changes, especially when it comes to the additional ways that absentee ballots can be requested at a time when we’re likely to see record numbers of North Carolinians wishing to vote by mail.”

A controversial provision in the bill that is unrelated to COVID-19 relief – and that was opposed by Common Cause NC and other pro-democracy groups – deals with voter ID. It is important to note that a court injunction has blocked the implementation of voter ID requirements in North Carolina. This bill’s provision does not supersede the court order that remains in place blocking voter ID. As such, voter ID will not be required unless the court rules otherwise. Common Cause NC opposes discriminatory voter ID requirements that create unfair barriers to voting.

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。