North Carolina

Snapshot: North Carolina receives a poor score for ease of voting and a middling score for ballot security. Its elected officials receive a good score for their response to claims about the 2020 election.

Ease of Voting

Some measures to expand access

3 out of 7 benchmarks

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Ballot Security

Some measures to ensure accuracy and security

5 out of 8 benchmarks

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What Politicians Say

Few responses that undermined the 2020 election

3 out of 4 benchmarks

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Democratic Governor Roy Cooper vetoed a 2021 Republican bill that would have required mail ballots be received by 5 p.m. on Election Day.

Current law allows ballots to be counted as long as they are postmarked by Election Day and received by three days after the election.

Cooper also vetoed a bill that would have barred private donations to run elections, such as the grants local and state officials asked for and received from Meta Platforms Inc Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg in 2020.

Ease of Voting

Is the state making it easy for eligible voters to register and cast a ballot?

Met 0 out of 0 benchmarks

How North Carolina compares to other states

North Carolina

Other states

← Easier to vote

Harder →

Number of total benchmarks met

North Carolina made no changes to state law that would affect voting access.

Ballot Security

Is the state following best practices to ensure ballot counting is accurate and timely?

Met 0 out of 0 benchmarks

How North Carolina compares to other states

North Carolina

Other states

← More secure

Less secure →

Number of total benchmarks met

North Carolina made no changes to state law that would affect election security.

How Politicians Responded to the 2020 Election

What did the state do in the aftermath of Trump's defeat?

Met 0 out of 0 benchmarks

How North Carolina compares to other states

North Carolina

Other states

← Fewer efforts to undermine 2020 election

Number of total benchmarks met

Five of North Carolina’s eight Republican US representatives objected to the certification of Biden electors from Arizona and seven objected to Pennsylvania.

Seven also signed an amicus brief supporting a Texas lawsuit asking the Supreme Court to intervene in the election.

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Story by: Ryan Teague Beckwith and Bill Allison

Graphics by: Paul Murray, Allison McCartney and Mira Rojanasakul

With assistance by: Rachael Dottle, Marie Patino, Jenny Zhang, Gregory Korte, Romy Varghese, Vincent Del Giudice, Nathan Crooks, Margaret Newkirk, Shruti Date Singh, David Welch, Elise Young, Dina Bass, Brendan Walsh, Carey Goldberg and Maria Wood

Editors: Wendy Benjaminson, Wes Kosova, Alex Tribou and Yue Qiu

Photo editors: Eugene Reznik, Marisa Gertz and Maria Wood

Photo credits: Getty Images, Bloomberg and AP Photo