ICYMI: North Carolina is Prepared to Conduct a Free and Fair Election

“…Donald Trump and Kamala Harris should recognize the integrity of North Carolina’s election process and pledge to respect its outcome.”

Raleigh, NC – In case you missed it, on the heels of his joint op-ed collaboration in U.S. News & World Report on Monday, RightCount Co-Chair and former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory has a piece in today’s edition of The Carolina Journal in which he assures voters of both parties that they “can take confidence in the security and fairness of our voting systems.” McCrory also cites the strides being made in the Tar Heel State to provide voting access to state residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

More than 4.2 million North Carolinians cast their ballots statewide during early voting, surpassing the 2020 early voting total of about 3.6 million voters. Recently announced early voting statistics from the State Board of Elections (BOE) showed Helene did not deter voters in Western North Carolina from casting their votes.

 North Carolina is Prepared to Conduct a Free and Fair Election
By Gov. Patrick McCrory
November 5, 2024

Over the past few weeks, the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene has been felt deeply in the western region of our state. Homes have been leveled, communities shattered, and lives forever altered. This tragedy serves as a stark reminder that recovery is not immediate — it will take not only weeks and months but years to rebuild homes, restore infrastructure, and reclaim the sense of security lost during the storm.

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In the aftermath of a disaster like this, the need for resilient infrastructure extends beyond just roads, power lines, and homes — it encompasses our voting processes as well. North Carolina is in the midst of an incredibly close and consequential election, and it’s critical that we ensure every vote is counted accurately, no matter the circumstances. This hurricane underscores the importance of having an adaptable election system ready for unforeseen challenges, and I am confident that we are prepared.

In August, an Elon University Poll for North Carolina’s fall 2024 election season found a high level of concern among voters about the integrity of this year’s vote count and potential violence in the wake of the Nov. 5 election. Amid polarization, distrust in elections, and foreign disinformation, we must work to restore trust and address valid concerns in the electoral process. That’s why I’ve lent my name and leadership to RightCount, an entity that is committed to restoring trust in our elections.

I am no stranger to close elections. Looking back at the aftermath of my 2016 re-election campaign, I felt it was essential that every question about the voting process be answered, especially as the race was one of the closest in state history. My campaign raised legitimate concerns that needed to be addressed. Despite the calls by some within my own party to persist in contesting the election, the result was an outcome I accepted because it reflected the will of voters. Since then, North Carolina has made strides in updating our election procedures, adding safeguards, and enhancing our capacity to ensure that even in the face of natural disasters like Hurricane Helene, the integrity of the vote is maintained.

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State laws to bolster election confidence also include requiring paper ballots in all 100 counties, ensuring a verifiable paper trail that can be easily audited or recounted. Voting machines are also prohibited from being connected to the internet, safeguarding against external interference. After each election and before certification, in a sample hand-count audit, bipartisan teams randomly select two voting sites per county, manually recount the ballots, and compare the results with the machine-tabulated outcomes. And after extensive planning in coordination with county election officials, public safety and emergency management officials, the State Board of Election unanimously approved emergency measures on a bipartisan basis to help Helene victims vote.

Both parties can take confidence in the security and fairness of our voting systems. Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris should recognize the integrity of North Carolina’s election process and pledge to respect its outcome. If questions arise — from extraordinary matters prompted by Hurricane Helene to more technical concerns about election procedures — our state has a process in place with our county and state election boards to address them. We cannot let this storm, or any challenge, prevent us from ensuring that we get the right count on voting and that the will of the people is respected.

To read the op-ed in its entirety, click here.

For media inquiries, please contact cmaloney@blackrockgrp.com.

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