Thread by @Robyn_NSanders

Introduced last night, NC House Bill 958 is cunning and terrible. Framed as administrative refinement, it in fact constructs new barriers to voting, chills civic participation, & shifts control over the electoral process in partisan & exclusionary ways. Here’s what it does:🧵

First, it delays and disqualifies ballots by tightening the rules that determine which ballots count. Minor errors by voters or poll workers,such as voting in the wrong precinct, can now lead to total ballot rejection, even if the voter was otherwise eligible.

Second, it allows election boards to remove precinct officials at any time, even on Election Day, & ban them from future service. This expands partisan discretion over poll worker selection, opening the door to retaliation or politically motivated removals.

Third, it prohibits members of the State & County Boards of Elections from publicly encouraging voter turnout, regardless of party. This silences the very officials tasked with protecting democratic participation & rebrands voter engagement as improper advocacy. This is lunacy.

Fourth, the bill pilots signature verification software for absentee ballots. This has proven to be a flawed & discriminatory tool that has disproportionately rejected ballots from elderly, disabled, & minority voters in other states. Ballot rejection by algorithm is a bad idea.

Fifth, it prohibits ranked-choice voting in all elections, foreclosing a popular reform that promotes majority consensus & discourages negative campaigning, without offering any policy justification whatsoever.

And finally, it empowers the executive director of the State Board of Elections to exempt up to 25 staff from civil service protections, increasing the risk of politically motivated hiring & weakening nonpartisan administration. Centralizing partisan control is the point.

HB 958 narrows access, weakens oversight, & chills participation. It transforms the State & County Boards of Elections from public servants into silent bureaucrats, strips voters of protections against official error, & sows distrust in the mechanisms meant to preserve democracy.

What can be done? Speak out, show up, & stay vigilant. Call your legislators & demand they oppose HB 958. Support voting rights groups challenging these restrictions. Educate your community about what’s at stake. This bill thrives on quiet passage. Make noise. Be loud. Say no.