Election Improvements.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 825

Short Title: Election Improvements. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Echevarria and Scott (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 9, 2025
*H825-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO PROHIBIT RANKED CHOICE VOTING, CLARIFY THE LAWS REGARDING 2
ELECTION-RELATED ACT IVITY, REDUCE THE EA RLY VOTING PERIOD, A ND 3
AMEND THE REQUIREMEN TS FOR ACCEPTABLE FO RMS OF IDENTIFICATIO N 4
WHEN A VOTER REQUESTS AN ABSENTEE BALLOT. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
SECTION 1. Article 14A of Chapter 163 of the General Statutes is amended by 7
adding a new section to read: 8
"§ 163-165.6A. Ranked choice voting prohibited. 9
No rank ed choice voting may be used in any referendum, primary, or other election or 10
appointment to any board or commission . The term "ranked choice voting" refers to a method 11
that allows a voter the option to rank candidates for office in the voter's order of preference." 12
SECTION 2. G.S. 163-166.4 reads as rewritten: 13
"§ 163-166.4. Limitation on activity in the voting place and in a buffer zone around it. 14
… 15
(b) Area for Election -Related Activity. – Except as provided in subsection (c) of this 16
section, the county board of elections shall also p rovide an area adjacent to adjoining the buffer 17
zone for each voting place in which persons or groups of persons may may, but are not restricted 18
to, canvass, distribute campaign literature, place political advertising, solicit votes, or otherwise 19
engage in election-related activity. 20
… 21
(d) Notice About Buffer Zone and Area for Election-Related Activity. – No later than 30 22
days before each election, the county board of elections shall make available to the public the 23
following information concerning each voting place: 24
(1) The door from which the buffer zone is measured. 25
(2) The distance the buffer zone extends from that door. 26
(3) Any available information Information concerning where political activity, 27
including sign placement, is permitted provided for beyond the buffer zone. 28
…." 29
SECTION 3. G.S. 163-166.40(b) reads as rewritten: 30
"(b) Not earlier than the third second Thursday before an election in which a voter seeks 31
to vote and not later than 3:00 P.M. on the last Saturday before that election, the voter may appear 32
in person only at the office of the county board of elections, except as provided in 33
G.S. 163-166.35. A county board of elections shall conduct early voting on the last Saturday 34
before the election from 8:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M." 35
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 825-First Edition
SECTION 4.(a) G.S. 163-230.1(g), as amended by Section 3A.4(f) of S.L. 2024-57, 1
reads as rewritten: 2
"(g) Rules. – The State Board, by rule or by instruction to the county boards of elections, 3
shall establish procedures to provide appropriate safeguards in the implementation of this section. 4
The State Board shall adopt rules to provide for the forms of identification that shall be included 5
with returned application and voted absentee ballots. At a minimum, the rules shall include the 6
following: 7
(1) Acceptable photocopies of forms of readable identification, as described in 8
G.S. 163-166.16(a). 9
(2) A process for a voter without acceptable photocopies of forms of readable 10
identification under subdivision (1) of this subsection to complete an 11
alternative affidavit in accord ance with G.S. 163-166.16(d)(1), (d)(2), or 12
(d)(3) that includes inability to attach a physical copy of the voter's 13
identification with the returned application and voted ballots as a reasonable 14
impediment to compliance with the identification requirement, provided the 15
reasonable impediment document includes the last four digits of the voter 's 16
social security number and one of the following: 17
a. The number of the voter's North Carolina drivers license issued under 18
Article 2 of Chapter 20 of the General Statu tes, including a learner's 19
permit or a provisional license. 20
b. The number of the voter's special identification card for nonoperators 21
issued under G.S. 20-37.7. 22
c. The last four digits of the voter's social security number. The voter's 23
date of birth." 24
SECTION 4.(b) G.S. 163-230.2(a) reads as rewritten: 25
"(a) Valid Types of Written Requests. – A completed written request form for absentee 26
ballots as required by G.S. 163-230.1 is valid only if it is on a form created by the State Board 27
and signed by the voter requesting absentee ballots or that voter's near relative or verifiable legal 28
guardian. The State Board shall make the blank request form available at its offices, online, and 29
in each county board of elections office, and that blank request form may be reproduced. A voter 30
may call the State Board or a county board of elections office and request that the blank request 31
form be sent to the voter by mail, e -mail, or fax. The request form created by the State Board 32
shall require at least the following information: 33
(1) The name and address of the residence of the voter. 34
(2) The name and address of the voter's near relative or verifiable legal guardian 35
if that individual is making the request. 36
(3) The address of the voter to which the application and absentee ballots are to 37
be mailed if different from the residence address of the voter. 38
(4) One The last four digits of the applicant 's social security number and one of 39
the following: 40
a. The number of the applicant's North Carolina drivers license issued 41
under Ar ticle 2 of Chapter 20 of the General Statutes, including a 42
learner's permit or a provisional license. 43
b. The number of the applicant's special identification card for 44
nonoperators issued under G.S. 20-37.7. 45
c. The last four digits of the applicant's social security number. 46
(5) The voter's date of birth. 47
(6) The signature of the voter or of the voter's near relative or verifiable legal 48
guardian if that individual is making the request. 49
(7) A clear indicator of the date the election generating the request is to be held, 50
except for annual calendar year requests in accordance with G.S. 163-226(b). 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 825-First Edition Page 3
(8) The telephone number and e -mail address of the voter; however, no request 1
shall be denied for failure to include this information and the request shall 2
state that this information is optional and would be used to contact the voter 3
regarding any deficiencies in the returned executed absentee ballots." 4
SECTION 5. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to elections held 5
on or after that date. 6