State Board Reviews 29 Election Rules
The North Carolina State Board of Elections opened a public comment period on Sept. 21 covering 29 election rules it has deemed necessary to keep.
The rules touch absentee voting, photo ID, election observers, and campaign finance. State law requires agencies to review their rules at least once a decade and drop any that are obsolete.
“Administrative rules are necessary to ensure North Carolina’s elections are accessible, secure, and conducted uniformly,” said board executive director Sam Hayes, who invited feedback on the initial determination that the rules should stay.
Comments on the 29 rules run through Nov. 25 via the online portal, email, or mail. A separate proposed rule on political party “exempt sales plans” has its own comment period through Nov. 16, with an in-person hearing Oct. 5 at 10 a.m. at the board’s Raleigh office. |
 Vance Rallies for Whatley in Greensboro
Vice President JD Vance headlined a Republican rally in Greensboro on Monday, stumping for U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley.
The Trump 47 Committee event at the Koury Convention Center drew about 300 people. It was Vance’s third trip to North Carolina, five days after President Trump rallied for Whatley in Gastonia.
Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chairman, is competing for retiring Sen. Thom Tillis’ seat against Democrat Roy Cooper, a former two-term governor.
Recent polls show Cooper ahead, including an Elon University survey putting him up 11 points. Vance went after Cooper’s crime record, saying North Carolina shouldn’t back a man who “made a career out of bending a knee to the far left.”
Cooper’s campaign shot back that Whatley’s “D.C. insider friends are trying to bail him out.” Election Day is Nov. 3. |
Charlotte Reverses Course on I-77 Tolls
The Charlotte City Council voted 7-4 Monday night to restore its support for the I-77 South toll lane project, reversing a May vote that had killed it. The reversal clears the way for an 11-mile express-lane expansion from uptown Charlotte to the South Carolina line, a project in the works since 2014.
Two West Charlotte members flipped their votes after the state pledged $300 million in added investment for the area.
Opponents had fought the expansion for years over its cost and its impact on historically black neighborhoods. Council member J.D. Mazuera Arias said the state left the city facing “an ultimatum … either raise our taxes … or pass the project.”
The switch also allows Charlotte to avoid repaying a $64 million financial penalty. |
Medicaid Work Requirements Coming in 2027
Starting Jan. 1, 2027, most North Carolina adults aged 19 to 64 will have to work, study, or volunteer at least 80 hours a month to keep their Medicaid coverage.
Enrollees can also satisfy the rule by earning at least $580 a month before taxes, roughly 80 hours at the federal minimum wage. Those who don’t meet it or don’t qualify for an exemption could lose benefits.
Exemptions cover a long list, including parents of children under 14, pregnant women, people with disabilities, veterans rated fully disabled, and enrollees in substance-abuse treatment.
The changes flow from H.R. 1, the federal budget law President Trump signed in July 2025. Democrats in about half the states have sued over the work rules.
North Carolina expanded Medicaid in 2023, and nearly 735,000 residents have enrolled since then. Six-month renewals and shorter retroactive coverage also take effect in 2027.
|
