MIDTERMS: Federal judge allows North Carolina to maintain restrictions on mail-in voting as several states begin early voting

Federal Judge Thomas D. Schroeder ruled on Monday that North Carolina may continue to enforce its stricter mail-in voting requirements ahead of the November midterm elections, after rejecting a legal challenge to changes made shortly before ballots began being mailed to voters in September. "The Supreme Court has repeatedly admonished lower courts that they ‘should ordinarily not alter the election rules on the eve of an election.’ Here, ‘[t]he election is not merely upcoming; it has already started,'" Schroeder wrote.

<span> </span>The ruling comes as North Carolina prepares for a midterm election cycle that could mark a turning point in Donald Trump's second term, with several closely contested legislative races and a vacant U.S. Senate seat that Democrats view as one of their best opportunities to gain ground.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections revised absentee ballot procedures to reject ballots where voters' signatures do not match the names on their applications. The updated guidelines also instruct county election officials to reject ballots if the inner envelope is not properly sealed.

Politics

Mother of Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate urges voters not to support her daughter: 'She's a liar'

Joaquín Núñez

The decision came on the same day that early voting for the midterm elections began on Monday, October 19, in several states, including Texas, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, and South Carolina, while Colorado moves forward with its mail-in and in-person voting process.

In Texas, one of the states with the greatest electoral weight in the country, early in-person voting will continue through October 30. In Alaska, the Division of Elections confirmed that early in-person and absentee voting began on Monday. Arkansas, for its part, also began its early voting period, according to its secretary of state's published schedule.

In Connecticut, voters can cast early ballots through November 1, while in South Carolina, early voting will be available through October 31, with polling places open Monday through Saturday, except Sunday, October 25.