“This bill is a positive step toward ensuring every eligible North Carolina voter is able to safely and securely cast a ballot in this year’s elections,” said Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina and a veteran of voting battles.

The bill still needs improvement, but as Bob Phillips of the good government group Common Cause observed, it is “a positive step toward ensuring every eligible North Carolina voter is able to safely and securely cast a ballot in this year’s elections.”

This short session of the North Carolina General Assembly could get off to no better start than by approving House Bill 1169 “Elections 2020.” This legislation, the result of an all-too-unique collaboration of Republicans and Democrats, will go a long way toward assuring as many registered voters as possible will be able to cast ballots in the November election.

As concerns about the coronavirus persist, it's forcing the North Carolina General Assembly to take a closer look at changes to make voting safer and accessible to voters for the election in November.

With uncertainty looming over how serious coronavirus will be this fall, a bipartisan push at the state legislature would make it easier for North Carolinians to vote by mail this year.

“This bill is a positive step toward ensuring every eligible North Carolina voter is able to safely and securely cast a ballot in this year’s elections,” said Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause NC.