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UpdateNorth CarolinaFriday, October 23, 2026

North Carolina governor's claim about mail ballot rejections contradicted by data

Reporting by
WRAL
“Fact-checking Stein’s claim about mail-in ballot rejections in North Carolina”, Friday, October 23, 2026
Read the full story
What happened

On Oct. 20, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein claimed that State Board of Elections rule changes were leading to thousands more absentee ballots being rejected at twice the 2022 rejection rate. State data released the following day showed the total number of rejections was actually down about 26 percent. Through Oct. 20, officials had rejected 1,349 mail-in ballots, or 3.1 percent of those cast, compared with 1,829 rejections at 2.6 percent at the same stage in 2022.1

Overall mail-in ballot volume was down 38 percent from that election.1

What it means in North Carolina

What this means for North Carolina voters

Absentee ballots must be received by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.2

Key dates in North Carolina

Election Day in 7 days
  1. Fri, Oct 9 · passed
    Registration deadline
  2. Thu, Oct 15 · passed
    Early voting begins
  3. Tue, Oct 20 · passed
    Last day for mail ballot applications
  4. Tue, Nov 3 · 7 days
    Election Day; Mail ballots must arrive
  5. Fri, Nov 13 · 17 days
    County/Local certification
  6. Thu, Dec 10 · 44 days
    State certification

Every date in North Carolina, and who certifies the election

More on this story
North Carolina · Oct 25
Buncombe County rejected 45 absentee ballots for return errors
Reporting by WLOS local news
The answers behind this
Mail and early votingVoting in North Carolina, 2026How are votes counted and certified in North Carolina?Who certifies the election in North Carolina, and by when?

Explore this issue

OverviewUpdates In depthNew York officials say stray marks on ballots do not disqualify votes In depthFani Willis says someone fraudulently registered to vote in her name in New York In depthNorth Carolina auditor took control of election boards In depthBuncombe County rejected 45 absentee ballots for return errors In depthMiami-Dade County offers early voting at any county site In depthSupreme Court allows New Hampshire to block student IDs for voting In depthJustice Department charged 48 noncitizens with election-related crimes In depthDOJ sending election monitors to Utah after lieutenant governor refused voter rolls In depthTrump DOJ appealed California ballot case before judge ruled In depthCalifornia asks court to dismiss DOJ lawsuit over alleged noncitizen voters In depthBallot tabulator malfunction disrupted early voting in Greensboro In depthTexas candidate who died in September remains on November ballot

Sources

  1. WRAL, https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMimwFBVV95cUxNei10UzFuSmJnVm91SENaTWRhVkVIbGEyVkpWVmE2a05SNHlOUnRocEdkeDdkbmIyZVNGNmFJcEtKcU14YWkxVm5DOWMzSnVfc1B4VkNseDIwNEVKT2pOR3ZZQmxHdG0wVWlpZEhZMzB1bUprWm9nT2xYeF92OVRteEJ4c1QyLWZ0VkNtZk9FWW80aTdyNWdsbjQ5VQ?oc=5 · Friday, October 23, 2026
  2. Vote.org, North Carolina Election Center, https://www.vote.org/state/north-carolina/

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