North Carolina’s early voting faced a delay after a judge temporarily paused the mailing of ballots on Thursday by 24 hours to allow former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. the opportunity to appeal the decision to reject his request to have his name scrubbed from the ballot.
Kennedy Jr. is seeking to remove his name from the ballot following his endorsement of former President Donald Trump but on Thursday Judge Rebecca Holt denied his request, then halted ballot distribution by one day to allow time for an appeal.
If Kennedy Jr.’s team files an appeal before Friday’s noon deadline, the Court of Appeals could further delay the absentee ballot distribution. If no appeal is filed, ballots will go out as planned.
The Democratic-controlled State Board of Elections had earlier rejected Kennedy Jr.’s request, citing logistical challenges and costs involved in reprinting ballots.
Holt upheld that rejection, telling Kennedy Jr.’s legal representatives: “The court can find no practical, personal, or pecuniary harm to the plaintiff should his name remain on the ballot.”