北卡缺席投票新规引拒票担忧：选票须11月3日晚7时半前送达
北卡罗来纳州2026年中期选举的邮寄投票规则今年出现重要变化。州选举委员会9月通过的新规要求，缺席选票须接受签名核验，并装入密封的内层信封，否则不予计票。据 Asheville Citizen Times 10月21日报道，新规之下缺席选票拒票率已升至约3%，约为2022年的两倍，部分县甚至达到7%至8%。
州长 Josh Stein 10月20日在社交平台发文警告，州选举委员会临近选举的规则调整正导致更多缺席选票被拒，他呼吁选民尽量亲自投票，若选择邮寄，务必将两个信封都密封好。联邦法官已于10月19日裁定维持新规。
时限方面，申请缺席选票的一般截止日期已于10月20日（选举日前两周）届满，军人及海外选民适用不同期限；已取得选票的选民，其选票必须在11月3日选举日晚7时30分前送达所属县选举委员会。邮寄投票还须在公证人或两名见证人面前填写，信封背面签名并附带照片身份证复印件。全州提前投票将持续至10月31日下午3时结束。
North Carolina Absentee Rule Changes Raise Ballot Rejection Concerns Ahead of Midterms
North Carolina's mail voting rules changed significantly for the 2026 midterms. New State Board of Elections rules adopted in September require absentee ballots to pass signature verification and to be sealed in an inner envelope, or they will not be counted. The rejection rate for absentee ballots has risen to about 3% — roughly double the 2022 rate — reaching 7% to 8% in some counties, the Asheville Citizen Times reported on October 21.
Governor Josh Stein posted on October 20 warning that the board's late rule changes are causing more absentee ballots to be rejected, urging voters to vote in person if possible and, if voting by mail, to seal both envelopes. A federal judge upheld the new rules on October 19.
The general deadline to request an absentee ballot passed on October 20, two weeks before Election Day, with different deadlines for military and overseas voters. Ballots in hand must reach the voter's county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, November 3. Mail ballots must be completed before a notary or two witnesses, with the envelope signed and a photocopy of photo ID enclosed. Early voting statewide runs until 3 p.m. on October 31.
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图片来源：图：北卡罗来纳州议会大厦（Raleigh）。摄影：DiscoA340，CC BY-SA 4.0（Wikimedia Commons）。Photo: the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh. Photo by DiscoA340, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
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