Democratic lawmakers in North Carolina have proposed a constitutional amendment, House Bill 1240, in response to Senate Bill 1084, a bill proposed by the Republican lawmakers in the General Assembly that would move the start of early in-person voting up by one week and restrict the voting window from 17 days to 10 days.
House Bill 1240 aims to combat Republican attempts to suppress voters by requiring at least 14 days of early voting, preserving same-day voter registration during the early voting period, and setting minimum hours for early voting sites while leaving county election boards in charge of selecting sites and staffing.
The amendment also aims to prevent future legislatures from making harmful changes to early voting without voter approval.
The ability to vote early is crucial to democracy in North Carolina, as nearly three-fourths of all votes cast in the state’s 2024 general election were cast early.
“This constitutional amendment shouldn’t be necessary, but North Carolina recently has a history of trying to suppress votes,” said Democratic Rep. Marcia Morey.
If House Bill 1240 passes in the Republican-led legislature, voters will be able to vote on the amendment on the November 2026 ballot.
