The North Carolina Senate voted 28-13 along party lines on Tuesday to pass a sweeping elections bill that shortens early voting during primaries, establishes database-driven voter roll purges, and grants the Republican state auditor post-election audit powers, sending the measure back to the House amid sharp partisan debate.
Primary Early Voting Cuts and Database Voter Roll Purges
The legislation, designated as HB 958, advanced rapidly through the Senate on Tuesday from morning committee sessions to the evening floor vote. A core provision of the Senate’s amended version cuts the early voting period for primary, runoff, and special elections from 17 days down to 10 days, though the reduction does not apply to general elections.
State Sen. Warren Daniel defended the change during committee discussions, insisting it was necessary to reduce the administrative burden
on election workers and candidates. The adjustment follows remarks by Senate leader Phil Berger, who lost his primary reelection bid earlier this year and subsequently criticized the state’s amount of early voting as excessive.
Democrats contested the change during floor debate, pointing out that many consequential legislative and congressional races are decided during primary contests. Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed proposed an amendment to set 10 days as a mandatory minimum while giving county boards the discretion to maintain a longer schedule, but the measure was tabled in a 28-13 vote along party lines.
Supporters of the legislation argued the updates are necessary for administrative efficiency. This is instituting targeted changes to help the Board of Elections properly administer elections in this state,
said Sen. Brad Overcash.
The bill also mandates new voter roll maintenance activities. It requires the state board to create a process for removing ineligible residents from registration rolls using information from a federal database, and directs county boards to process voter registration applications only if they affirmatively indicate U.S. citizenship. Additionally, the legislation requires weekly removals of deceased voters using data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Partisan Clashes Over Ballot Challenges and DMV Records
Debate over the legislation also focused on expanded ballot challenges and data sharing between state agencies. The bill extends the allowable time period for challenging in-person ballots cast during early voting, allowing challenges up to five days after the election. Existing law permits challenges to election-day voters only on election day itself.
Senate Minority Leader Sydney Batch criticized the roll maintenance provisions during debate, comparing them to historical mechanisms used to disenfranchise Black voters and warning that purge lists often rely on inaccurate data. Batch invoked the 2024 state Supreme Court race, where Democratic Justice Allison Riggs defeated Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin, noting that subsequent ballot challenges could have disenfranchised thousands of legitimate voters.
“Forgive me for not having a lot of patience today, because in this very year we are supposed to be celebrating 250 years of prying those doors open — 250 years of hard, bloody, generational work to make the vote meaningful to each and every one of us — this chamber is taking up another bill in a long line of bills that pries back the progress that we have made.”
Sen. Sydney Batch, D-Wake
During committee meetings, Sen. Julie Mayfield raised objections to a requirement compelling the state’s Division of Motor Vehicles to routinely provide the State Board of Elections with residents’ full Social Security numbers. “If the concern is adequate list maintenance, the last four digits should work,” Mayfield said. If the concern is something other than that, such as using this as a way to verify citizenship, then that’s a different purpose.
Daniel responded that the state board requires full Social Security numbers to conduct accurate voter roll maintenance without inaccurately flagging voters, adding that it’s also a consideration whether the DMV should continue to be a registration portal for the state.
Auditor Powers, Second Election Bill, and Next Steps
Beyond registration rolls and early voting schedules, the legislation grants Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek the power to conduct post-election audits in counties of his choosing, adding to the audits already performed by election officials after every contest.
The Senate also unanimously advanced a second measure, HB 834, which was amended during the legislative process to govern judicial review of state elections board decisions and rules for delivering absentee ballots. Both bills now return to the House for consideration of Senate amendments when the chamber convenes.
As senators approved HB 958 on Tuesday, protesters in the gallery held signs reading We are watching
and chanted “The people united will never be defeated.” Several demonstrators were escorted out by security.
Governor Josh Stein criticized the legislation in a social media post last month, indicating he is likely to veto the measure if it reaches his desk. It remains unclear whether legislative Republicans possess the support required to override a gubernatorial veto.
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