The number of people casting ballots on the first day of early in-person voting in presidential battleground North Carolina exceeded the first-day total four years ago — even as Hurricane Helene recovery continued in the mountains. The State Board of Elections said Friday that a record 353,166 people cast ballots statewide on Thursday. That's about 4,600 votes more than the number cast on the first day of early voting in October 2020. Election officials say the numbers are preliminary and are expected to rise even further. Nearly all early voting sites in the counties hardest hit by the storm were able to open Thursday. Early voting continues through Nov. 2.
BY YUE STELLA YU AND SAMEEA KAMAL/CalMatters CalMatters
California is hailed as a national leader for voting access, but visually impaired voters and their advocates say they still face unnecessary barriers. They argue that people should be able to return ballots electronically. Disability advocates are asking a federal judge to compel Secretary of State Shirley Weber's office to allow voters who have difficulty using printed materials to return their ballots via fax in the November election. Weber's office declined to speak about the lawsuit, but opposed a 2022 bill that sought to let voters return ballots electronically. Weber cited security concerns including the threat of cyber attacks. The case is set to be heard this month in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.
