Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced on Apr. 3 that he has filed a lawsuit to challenge an executive order that affects absentee voting for North Carolinians, especially military servicemembers.
The issue is significant because North Carolina is home to more than 100,000 military personnel, many of whom rely on absentee ballots due to deployments and relocations. The new executive order directs the Department of Homeland Security to provide states with a list of eligible voters at least 60 days before an election and instructs the U.S. Postal Service to accept mail-in ballots only from those listed.
“We have over 100,000 military servicemembers in North Carolina,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “I am one of them. Under current law, we can request and receive absentee ballots up until the day before the election, which matters because deployments can happen fast. Under this executive order, our absentee ballots would run a very high risk of being rejected by the post office – essentially thrown in the trash – if we deploy within 60 days of the election. That is unacceptable. Whoever wrote this executive order must not understand military voting. I do, and I’ll defend the rights of our servicemembers to cast their lawful – and well-earned – ballots in our elections.”
Jackson argues that the order violates both federal and state laws as well as constitutional provisions giving states authority over elections. He also noted that it could prevent votes from counting for soldiers deployed close to Election Day or for residents displaced by natural disasters such as Hurricane Helene.
The complaint is supported by attorneys general from several other states and the governor of Pennsylvania.
The North Carolina State Executive Attorney General provides services including legal representation, criminal prosecution support and consumer protection according to its official website. The office extends its services across all regions in North Carolina according to its official website and acts as a government entity authorized to handle legal matters for state residents according to its official website. As attorney general, Jeff Jackson heads this agency according to its official website, representing state agencies in court proceedings and prosecuting criminal appeals according to its official website. The office’s mission includes preventing crime, assisting law enforcement agencies, protecting consumers’ interests and defending residents’ rights according to its official website.
A copy of the complaint is available online.
