KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to North Carolina

S556 • 2025

Revise Buffer Zone Limitations/Elections.

Revise Buffer Zone Limitations/Elections.

Elections
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Sawrey
Last action
2025-04-01
Official status
Re-ref to Elections. If fav, re-ref to Rules and Operations of the Senate
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Revise Buffer Zone Limitations/Elections.

Revise Buffer Zone Limitations/Elections.

What This Bill Does

  • Revise Buffer Zone Limitations/Elections.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-01 Senate

    Re-ref to Elections. If fav, re-ref to Rules and Operations of the Senate

  2. 2025-04-01 Senate

    Withdrawn From Com

  3. 2025-03-26 Senate

    Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate

  4. 2025-03-26 Senate

    Passed 1st Reading

  5. 2025-03-25 Senate

    Filed

Official Summary Text

Revise Buffer Zone Limitations/Elections.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 556

Short Title: Revise Buffer Zone Limitations/Elections. (Public)
Sponsors: Senator Sawrey (Primary Sponsor).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 26, 2025
*S556-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO REVISE THE LAWS REGARDING THE DISTANCE PERMITTED T O 2
ENGAGE IN ELECTION -RELATED ACTIVITY IN A BUFFER ZONE AROUND A 3
VOTING PLACE. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
SECTION 1. G.S. 163-166.4(a) reads as rewritten: 6
"(a) Buffer Zone. – No person or group of persons shall hinder access, harass others, 7
distribute campaign literature, place political advertising, solicit votes, or otherwise engage in 8
election-related activity in the voting place or in a buffer zone which shall be prescribed by the 9
county board of elections around the voting place. In determining the dimensions of that buffer 10
zone for each voting place, the county board of elections shall, where practical, set the limit at 11
50 100 feet from the door of entrance to the voting place, measured when that door is closed, but 12
in no event shall it set the limit at more than 50 100 feet or at less than 25 75 feet." 13
SECTION 2. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to 14
election-related activity in a buffer zone of a voting place on or after that date. 15