North Carolina State Board of Elections is attempting to create new rules that will severely handicap the petition process in North Carolina for new parties. If you would like to read these rules, you can find them here: https://www.ncsbe.gov/about-elections/legal-resources/rulemaking#petition

These rules essentially just codify the shenanigans that the last board tried in 2022 and 2024 to keep non-uniparty parties off the ballot. If you would like to object to these rules, you can send proposed rule objections to [email protected] AND [email protected].

You can use the letter template below, and edit as you see fit.

[Name]

[Address]

[Date]

N.C. Rules Review Commission

1711 New Hope Church Rd.

Raleigh, NC  27609

Re: [08 NCAC 22 .0105 PETITION CIRCULATORS,
08 NCAC 22 .0305 GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THE NEW PARTY, ]

Members of the Commission:

I request that the above rule(s) be reviewed in the upcoming legislative session as set out in N.C.G.S. 150B-21.3. I further request that the rule(s) be subject to a delayed effective date as set out in that same provision.

I am objecting to:

08 NCAC 22 .0104 (C). This goes far and above current law and it will take much longer to petition. The intent of all political parties is understood to be to run and elect candidates to office and influence law.

08 NCAC 22 .0105 PETITION CIRCULATORS. This is a violation of an individual’s First Amendment rights, and it also places a new party at a disadvantage by making public a list of its volunteers. In addition, it will make it much more difficult to circulate a petition, as multiple individuals won’t be able to circulate the same petition sheet. This creates a particular challenge when working a multi-person event where multiple counties attend.

08 NCAC 22 .0305 GENERAL PURPOSE AND INTENT OF THE NEW PARTY. This rule is confusing and sets up a situation where members of the two major parties can choose to keep a small party from ever satisfying this requirement. The state board is very vague with this rule as to what it will accept and not accept. further, the state board has extreme power to arbitrarily determine if it agrees with what the party has done or said to meet the requirement of general purpose and intent. This part of NC law is old and outdated and was meant to stop the spread of the Communist party and communism in America as I understand its history.

Furthermore, Multiple Parties have begun their petition drives and changing the rules in the middle of their drives is unfair to those parties. 

[INSERT ADDITIONAL OBJECTIONS HERE IF NECESSARY, OR EDIT THE ABOVE AS YOU SEE FIT]

Thank you for your consideration.

[Name]