GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2001
H	1
HOUSE BILL 1195
     

 
Short Title:	Annual Absentee Ballot Request.	()	
Sponsors:	Representative Blue.	
Referred to:	Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform.	
April 12, 2001

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to give ill and disabled civilians the same right as military personnel to request absentee ballots for an entire calendar year.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 163‑226 reads as rewritten:
"§ 163‑226.  Who may vote an absentee ballot.
(a)	Who May Vote Absentee Ballot; Generally. – Any qualified voter of the State may vote by absentee ballot in a statewide primary, general, or special election on constitutional amendments, referenda or bond proposals, and any qualified voter of a county is authorized to vote by absentee ballot in any primary or election conducted by the county board of elections, in the manner provided in this Article if:
(1)	The voter expects to be absent from the county in which he is registered during the entire period that the polls are open on the day of the specified election in which the voter desires to vote;
(2)	The voter is unable to be present at the voting place to vote in person on the day of the specified election in which the voter desires to vote because of the voter's sickness or other physical disability;
(3)	The voter is incarcerated, whether in the voter's county of residence or elsewhere, shall be entitled to vote by absentee ballot in the county of the voter's residence in any election, specified herein, in which the voter otherwise would be entitled to vote. Absentee voting shall be in the same manner as provided in this Article. The chief custodian or superintendent of the institution or other place of confinement shall certify that the applicant is not a felon, and the certification shall be as prescribed by the State Board of Elections. The State Board of Elections is authorized to prescribe procedures to carry out the intent and purpose of this subsection;
(3a)	The voter because of the observance of a religious holiday pursuant to the tenets of the voter's religion will be unable to cast a ballot at the polling place on the day of the election; or
(4)	The voter is an employee of the county board of elections or a precinct official, observer, or ballot counter, in another precinct and the voter's assigned duties on the day of the election will cause the voter to be unable to be present at the voting place to vote in person and provided such employee has the application witnessed by the chairman of the county board of elections.
(a1)	No‑Excuse Absentee Voting for One‑Stop in General Elections Only. – The only type of absentee voting that is not subject to the excuse requirements of subsection (a) of this section is one‑stop voting as provided in G.S. 163‑227.2 for elections held on the day of the general elections in November of even‑numbered years.
(a2)	Annual Request by Person With Sickness or Physical Disability. – If the application under subdivision (a)(2) of this section so requests, it shall constitute an application for more than one or all of the primaries and elections held during the calendar year when the application is received.
(b)	Absentee Ballots; Exceptions. – Notwithstanding the authority contained in G.S. 163‑226(a), absentee ballots shall not be permitted in fire district elections.
(c)	The Term "Election". – As used in this Subchapter, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the term "election" includes a general, primary, second primary, runoff election, bond election, referendum, or special election."
SECTION 2.  This act applies with respect to primaries and elections held on or after January 1, 2002.