North Carolina will begin sending out ballots next week after a lawsuit from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delayed the initial distribution, which would’ve made the state first in sending out ballots .
Kennedy won his lawsuit against the state, resulting in them taking his name off the ballot as he had requested. Kennedy did so in order to prevent taking votes away from the candidate he endorsed, former President Donald Trump.
The state’s board of elections announced all 100 counties in the state must send out ballots to eligible military and overseas citizens on Sept. 20 and to other voters on Sept. 24. The lawsuit ultimately caused ballots to go out two weeks late.
“This schedule is only possible because of the hard work of elections professionals across this state that will continue throughout the next week,” Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said. “Because of them, we expect to meet the federal deadline for ballot delivery, and North Carolinians can finally start voting in this important election.”