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Signature verification program for NC voters is faulty, report says

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3 days ago

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carolinapublicpress.org – Sarah Michels – 2025-02-17 08:00:00

by Sarah Michels, Carolina Public Press
February 17, 2025

To cast an absentee ballot by mail in North Carolina, voters must follow two simple steps. First, they need two witnesses to watch them sign the ballot envelope. Second, they need to attach a copy of an acceptable form of photo identification to their ballot.  And if a recently completed pilot program is expanded to the entire state, there may soon be a third security measure: the use of a special machine to verify a voter’s signature.

North Carolina would be the only state to use all three security requirements, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. 

During the 2024 primary, 10 counties participated in a “signature verification” pilot program. Now the results are in — and they’re not all positive. 

What the numbers show

It was an experiment that cost over $450,000, mostly to pay for verification equipment for 10 counties. County boards incurred an additional $8,000. 

The time commitment varied from county to county. In Durham County, the most populous participant, the program took 80 staff hours. In smaller areas like Bertie and Cherokee counties, the job only took an hour or two. 

And the results are mixed.

In Rowan County, for instance, the signature verification software reviewed 308 absentee ballots during the primary election. It spit out 24 as potential mismatched signatures. 

After a second, manual review, elections staff felt confident that all of the signatures actually did match except for one. 

According to Sharon Main, Rowan County’s elections director, there was a pattern among the ballots needing additional review: The average age of the voter casting them was 67.

“When you looked at them, and you looked at the handwriting and you compared it to what was on file, you could still see similarities, but it was just shakier or more sideways,” Main said. 

The verification software also got confused when comparing the absentee ballots’ ink and digital signatures on file from places like the DMV. Handwriting outside of signature boxes and other slight alterations were enough for the machine to reject some valid signatures.

After an initial machine review, 239 ballots — or 10.6% — of 2,235 were rejected. 

However, a manual review of these signatures found just six that failed both tests. 

Democracy NC, a grassroots organization that deploys personnel across the state to watch electoral processes, attests that much of what their monitors flagged also appeared in the pilot program’s final report made to the General Assembly by State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell. 

“I think it’s a lot easier to say something and to pass a law than to actually think about the reality of how it would impact voters,” said Katelin Kaiser, the policy director for Democracy NC.  

Good idea, poor execution? 

The program suffered unexpected delays, according to Brinson Bell’s report. 

The State Board missed its first reporting deadline because it couldn’t find a vendor in time. Bell asked for at least six months to find a better vendor if the legislature decides to expand the program statewide. 

After the scanners were finally delivered in June 2024, there were immediate issues. The machines had a hard time reading barcodes on absentee ballots. Some voters wrote outside small signature boxes, which complicated analysis. And reference signatures — handwriting compared to absentee-envelope signatures — had varying image qualities, depending on their age and origin. 

Jay DeLancy, the executive director of a North Carolina organization called the Voter Integrity Project, was a supporter of signature verification six years ago. After research and speaking to software developers, he sent a PowerPoint presentation to lawmakers in 2018 recommending they spend federal funds on the effort.

But after reading the results of the pilot program, he’s changed his mind. 

“I like the ideas behind it, but I think the application to elections, it’s just not going to work,” DeLancy said.

He also thinks absentee voting may fade away, which would negate the need for such a program. State Board of Elections turnout data shows that, with the exception of 2020, about 5% of North Carolina voters utilize absentee by-mail voting in most presidential elections. 

With each verification system costing between $300,000 and $450,000, the math quickly adds up. 

“​​I think there’s far better ways to spend the money,” DeLancy said.  

No problems with these signature programs

Bertie County Elections Director LaToya Peele is grateful for the “head start” on what may become a permanent, statewide process. The pilot program went well in her county with only one ballot requiring a second review, she said. 

Further south in Pamlico County, there were also no issues.

Halifax County Election Director Kristin Scott said staff encountered some of the same technical difficulties as other counties, but the process turned out fine. Still, she wouldn’t go straight to a statewide implementation right away. 

“I think a lot of testing could be done with it just to make sure that what we’re doing is accurate,” Scott said. 

Will legislature expand signature program? 

Last year, the General Assembly passed new election deadlines in Senate Bill 382. 

Now, county boards must begin counting absentee ballots on Election Night — and can’t stop until they’re done. Previously, additional meetings were allowed before the canvass — 10 days after the election. Now, all absentee and provisional ballots have to be counted by the Friday after the election instead of before the canvass. 

Main is already worried about the new deadlines even without signature verification as part of the equation. 

“You add a signature verification pilot program on top of it? That’s going to be a really long day, and it’s already about a 15 to 16-hour day,” she said. 

Maybe modifications can be made to the software, Main added, but she isn’t sure. 

“If they do go with it, I’m going to do my best to meet that requirement,” Main said. “But I do believe that they need to realize how much extra time and power that’s going to take. I want them to be fair to us on that one.” 

This article first appeared on Carolina Public Press and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams delivers State of the City address

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February 19, 2025

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www.youtube.com – ABC11 – 2025-02-19 20:35:46


SUMMARY: In his second annual State of the City address, Mayor Leo Williams outlined his vision for Durham’s future, addressing issues like gun violence, housing insecurity, and revitalizing distressed areas. He introduced his “Personal Finance Playbook” to help improve financial literacy and generational wealth. Williams emphasized that the preservation of young lives is his top priority, despite other concerns like transportation and tree preservation. He also discussed cross-sector collaboration to treat youth gun violence as a public health crisis. The speech concluded with a heartfelt performance of “I Love My City,” with former ABC1 anchor Anthony Wilson as MC.

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Mayor Leonardo Williams laid out his vision for the future of Durham in his second State of the City address, telling residents he …

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While other students learn online, Wake County has a snow day. Here's why.

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6 hours ago

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February 19, 2025

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www.youtube.com – WRAL – 2025-02-19 19:10:09


SUMMARY: Today, W County public schools canceled classes while other districts opted for remote learning, prompting parental concerns about learning loss. Many parents questioned Wake County’s decision, especially since they had previously struggled with online learning during COVID-19. Wake County Schools spokesperson Lisa Luten explained that the policy prioritizes in-person instruction, established after parent discontent with virtual learning. Although parents have become more receptive to remote learning, the district is considering policy changes. W County has also canceled classes for tomorrow, but state law mandates 171 days of instruction, so concerns remain about potential adjustments to spring or summer breaks.

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Parents questioned by the state’s largest district could not manage remote learning while others do.

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Roads across Western NC starting to reopen after Helene damage

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17 hours ago

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February 19, 2025

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carolinapublicpress.org – Lucas Thomae – 2025-02-19 08:00:00

Repaired. Replaced. Reopened. Hit hard by Helene, this is what paved the way for these NC roads to come back.

by Lucas Thomae, Carolina Public Press
February 19, 2025

Roads are being rebuilt and bridges resurrected, but motorists are still struggling to traverse Western North Carolina.

That may not be for much longer though, as the state’s transportation department is slowly but surely progressing with recovery efforts.

Tropical Storm Helene’s devastation included more than 600 roads and 800 bridges primarily in the western part of the state. The latest data from the N.C. Department of Transportation shows that 160 roads remain closed — 30 highways and 130 secondary roads.

The task of repairing and reopening North Carolina’s roadways after the severe storm has been a tall order for the transportation department, which maintains more than 80,000 miles of roads. That’s more than any other state except Texas.

Still, repair projects are moving along, and rather quickly considering the wide-ranging damage.

Last week, Gov. Josh Stein highlighted the progress during a press conference in the middle of a closed section of Interstate 40 near the Tennessee border. Stein declared the vital thoroughfare would be partially reopened on March 1.

The announcement corresponded with a visit from new U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who came to the area to survey the damage. Duffy’s visit was significant because North Carolina is hoping to secure more federal funds to help pay for storm recovery efforts. Helene was a $60 billion disaster, and so far the money allocated by the state and federal governments to pay for it has amounted to far less than that, Carolina Public Press has reported.

While the power to approve new funding lies primarily with Congress, Duffy has promised to support North Carolina’s reconstruction efforts and cut through “red tape” as transportation secretary.

“It is clear to me that (Duffy) intends to help,” Stein said in a statement after the visit.

One of the most crucial roads still out

The largest of the roads to still be closed is a section of I-40 that was washed away by the rising waters of the Pigeon River.

It’s a portion that stretches from the Tennessee border to exit 20 in Haywood County, near the town of Clyde. After five months of no traffic, one lane on each side of the interstate will reopen on March 1.

“Reopening these lanes will help reconnect North Carolina and Tennessee and allow us to welcome back visitors to bolster the economy,” Stein said.

The section could previously accommodate an average of 26,500 vehicles per day, according to the state transportation department. The department isn’t sure how many cars the two lanes will be able to handle once they are reopened. 

Damage from Tropical Storm Helene along Old Toe River Road near Newland, seen on Oct. 17, 2024. Much of the road parallels the North Toe River. Colby Rabon / Carolina Public Press

However, alternate routes into Tennessee such as U.S. Route 25 have already been reopened and could ease congestion on that part of the interstate. 

Meanwhile, Duffy revealed during his visit that the U.S. Department of Transportation acquired a special permit that will allow North Carolina to use rock from the Pisgah National Forest and extract construction materials from the nearby Pigeon River to help in the reconstruction process.

Allowing the state to do this, rather than transporting materials from up to 50 miles away, could significantly cut down on time and costs, Duffy said.

Expect delays

While the partial reopening of I-40 marks a major milestone, the storm’s damage extends far beyond that stretch of highway. Across North Carolina, affected roadways remain in various stages of repair with no clear end date in sight.

In total, the state transportation department identified a whopping 9,400 sites damaged by Helene, ranging from small back roads and culverts to larger highways and bridges.

So far, crews and contractors have completed repairs on about a quarter of the damaged bridges. However, 139 bridges still need to be entirely replaced. 

Although crews have completed the emergency repairs needed for residents to access their neighborhoods, the state is still designing plans and awarding contracts for most permanent repairs of roadways.

While the state hopes to have all affected roadways reopened to motorists in the first half of this year, officials are not putting any hard deadlines on reconstruction plans.

“With so many sites, so many roads and so many variables, it’s impossible to hit a precise mark,” said David Uchiyama, a spokesman for the transportation department.

Down the road

While the total bill for Helene recovery is estimated to be $60 billion — with transportation infrastructure repairs comprising about $5 billion — the true cost won’t be realized until potentially years down the road. That’s when all the contracts have been awarded and the reconstruction projects completed.

The transportation department can’t pay for the needed repairs by itself, but isn’t strapped for cash either. A state audit released in January found that the agency significantly underspent during its previous annual budget and should be in a solid position to fund recovery efforts.

However, transportation officials are also asking both the state legislature and the feds to help with expenses.

Since the storm, the Federal Highway Administration has given $412.8 million to North Carolina across six waves of emergency relief funding. That money was used for repair projects including I-40 near the Pigeon River Gorge.

The state legislature approved nearly $1 billion in disaster relief across three spending bills last year.

After taking office, Stein requested more than $1.1 billion in additional relief from the freshly-convened General Assembly. 

A spending bill that was recently filed by House Republicans proposed to allocate half the amount Stein requested.

This article first appeared on Carolina Public Press and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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