North Carolina § 163-165.4 Standards for official ballots

North Carolina Statutes

§ 163-165.4 — Standards for official ballots

North Carolina § 163-165.4

Ch. 163Elections and Election Laws

Art. 14AVoting

Subch. VICONDUCT OF PRIMARIES AND ELECTIONS

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Bluebook

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-165.4 (2026).

Text

The State Board of Elections shall ensure that official ballots throughout the State have all the following characteristics:

(1)Are readily understandable by voters.

(2)Present all candidates and questions in a fair and nondiscriminatory manner.

(3)Allow every voter to cast a vote in every ballot item without difficulty.

(4)Facilitate an accurate vote count.

(5)Are uniform in content and format, subject to varied presentations required or made desirable by different voting systems. (2001-460, s. 3; 2013-381, s. 29.1; 2017-6, s. 3; 2018-146, s. 3.1(a), (b).) § 163-165.4A. Punch-card ballots and lever machines.

(a)No ballot may be used in any referendum, primary, or other election as an official ballot if it requires the voter to punch out a hole with a stylus or other tool.

(b)No lev

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The State Board of Elections shall ensure that official ballots throughout the State have all the following characteristics:
(1) Are readily understandable by voters.
(2) Present all candidates and questions in a fair and nondiscriminatory manner.
(3) Allow every voter to cast a vote in every ballot item without difficulty.
(4) Facilitate an accurate vote count.
(5) Are uniform in content and format, subject to varied presentations required or made desirable by different voting systems. (2001-460, s. 3; 2013-381, s. 29.1; 2017-6, s. 3; 2018-146, s. 3.1(a), (b).)
§ 163-165.4A. Punch-card ballots and lever machines.
(a) No ballot may be used in any referendum, primary, or other election as an official ballot if it requires the voter to punch out a hole with a stylus or other tool.
(b) No lever machine voting system may be used in any referendum, primary, or other election as a means of voting the official ballot. A "lever machine voting system" is a voting system on which the voter casts a vote by pressing a lever and the vote is mechanically recorded by the machine.
(c) In any counties that used punch-card ballots as official ballots or lever machines in the election of November 2000, and in any municipalities located in those counties, this section becomes effective January 1, 2006. It is the intent of the General Assembly that any county that uses county funds to replace voting equipment to satisfy this section shall be given priority in appropriations to counties for voting equipment. (2001-310, ss. 1, 3; 2003-226, s. 12; 2017-6, s. 3; 2018-146, s. 3.1(a), (b).)
§ 163-165.4B. Butterfly ballots.
No butterfly ballot may be used as an official ballot in any referendum, primary, or other election. The term "butterfly ballot" means a ballot having more than one column listing ballot choices that share a common column for designating those choices. (2001-310, ss. 2, 3; 2017-6, s. 3; 2018-146, s. 3.1(a), (b).)
§ 163-165.4C. Prohibited voting systems.
A voting system that does not use or produce a ballot shall not be used in any referendum, primary, or other election as a means of voting or counting an official ballot. (2015-103, s. 5(b); 2017-6, s. 3; 2018-146, s. 3.1(a), (b)3.)