People talk often about the underhanded election machinations Democrats in other states – like California – get away with, but it happens here in North Carolina more often than you might think. It’s just that Democrats here are far more subtle about it, in hopes you won’t notice.
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In fairness, what they do isn’t always illegal, but it’s still slimy and questionable, and something that you know when you see it. This brings us to the latest example, which comes from our current governor, Democrat Josh Stein. But before we get to what he did, let me give you a tiny bit of background.
In-person early voting started here on October 15. In a bizarre scene, Senate Democrat nominee Roy Cooper, our former governor, arrived at his polling place to much staged fanfare, oddly doing a light jog along the path in the aftermath of his legal team, the Elias Law Group, sending a cease-and-desist letter to the North State Journal newspaper after they sent his campaign questions about the 69-year-old’s health and ability to serve a full six years if elected. The Elias Law Group, which was founded by Democrat super-lawyer Marc Elias, threatened a lawsuit if they published “such false and defamatory statements” related to the questions about his health.
This is relevant for multiple reasons, which will soon become clear.
On Tuesday evening, Stein took to social media, where he proceeded to try and whip up a panic among North Carolina voters about mail-in voting. Here’s what he wrote (bolded emphasis added):
The State Board of Elections’ last-minute changes to voting by mail are leading to thousands more absentee ballots being rejected this election – at a rejection rate twice as high as in 2022. It’s infuriating. North Carolinians, please make a plan to vote this year, in person if possible. And if you’re voting by mail, make sure you seal both envelopes on your ballot. Don’t let them take away your vote.
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Though Stein didn’t share in his tweet where that information came from, WUNC revealed the source:
Stein was referencing an analysis from the nonprofit advocacy group Common Cause. Its analysis was published Tuesday by Democracy Docket, a left-leaning legal group involved in a lawsuit seeking to block the new mail-in ballot processing guidelines.
Who founded and heavily promotes Democracy Docket? None other than Elias. Here’s what their reporter wrote about the supposed high number of absentee ballot rejections in an “exclusive” report (bolded emphasis added) filed Tuesday, the same day Stein wrote his message:
Common Cause North Carolina, working with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, compiled data from 27 of the state’s 100 counties, using absentee review monitors — everyday voters and volunteer advocates — as well as attorneys.
The data reveals ballots are so far being rejected at a rate of around 3% in the wake of the new GOP-backed rules.
Some of those rejections were likely not down to the new rules — ballots can be rejected for numerous reasons. But the 3% total rejection rate is double the rejection rate the entire nation saw in the 2022 election and higher than the state saw four years ago too, strongly suggesting that the new rules are having a major impact.
So, Stein lied voters by claiming “a rejection rate twice as high as in 2022” for N.C., when what Democracy Docket, whose “reporting” is – as a general rule – dubious at best – suggested was that the rate was “double the rejection rate the entire nation saw in the 2022 election.” Now, Democracy Docket also alleged that the three percent rate was “higher than the state saw four years ago too, strongly suggesting that the new rules are having a major impact” (even though a couple of sentences above it, they said the exact opposite, that “Some of those rejections were likely not down to the new rules”).
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But what did they conveniently leave out? What the N.C. rate of rejection was in 2022. The N.C. Board of Elections helpfully supplied the information in response to an inquiry from WUNC:
Updated the story with new numbers from the State Board of Elections, which reports “a slight increase in spoiled ballot rates in 2026 (3.1%) compared to 2022 (2.6%) at this stage in each election” (not the doubling Stein referenced) #ncpol https://t.co/0zQGJxOmOe
— Colin Campbell (@RaleighReporter) October 21, 2026
Fake news, Marc. Bless your heart. #ncpol #ncsen https://t.co/BJUmUO7fAh
— Sister Toldjah 💙 (@sistertoldjah) October 21, 2026
Wow, so we’ve gone from 2.6 percent in 2022 to 3.1 percent in 2026. That’s hardly “double,” which Stein claimed, and suggests that the tightened rules on absentee ballots are so far having little to no impact on the rejection rate:
The main point of contention in the elections board’s new guidance requires officials to reject mail-in ballots that aren’t sealed properly — with seals on both the ballot envelope and outer envelope — forcing the voter to start the process over again.
A federal court judge earlier this week declined to block the guidelines. “Neither of the two challenged provisions, which are clearly stated on the absentee ballot materials — that the voter sign his or her own name and place their ballot in a sealed envelope provided by the county board of election — is burdensome, much less unduly so,” U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Schroeder wrote. He is a Greensboro-based judge first appointed by President George W. Bush.
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Why would Stein and Democracy Docket want to whip up a panic among the Democrat base based on misleading/false information? For starters, despite early in-person voting getting off to a strong start for Democrats, Republicans are reportedly starting to catch up. And the top-of-the-ticket race this year is the Senate race between Stein’s buddy Cooper and former RNC Chairman Michael Whatley.
Secondly, if any race ends up being close and with a Republican being the winner, this gives Democrats wiggle room to claim a “rigged” election, something national Democrats have been alleging would happen for months now.
In short, we’re going to be seeing a lot more of these lies and half-truths from Democrats in the coming days and weeks, so Republican leaders in this state better be paying attention and prepared to respond with a reality check.
Keep this in mind as well: Elias, Cooper, and Stein (who was state attorney general when Cooper was governor) have a rather storied and notoriously shady history with one another, the backstory of which anyone interested can read more about in this 2020 RedState piece I wrote: NC Dems Collude With National Party Lawyer to Remove Crucial North Carolina Absentee Ballot Safeguards. The shorter version is below:
Marc Elias represented Roy Cooper in the 2016 recount that gave Cooper the win by .2%.
Elias reps this AFL-CIO affiliate in a lawsuit against Cooper’s BoE (with a Democrat majority).
This group had the Dem AG as 2018 keynote speaker.
AG & BoE “settles” with Elias.
#NCpol— Pete Kaliner (@PeteKaliner) September 27, 2020
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You’ve gotta watch these guys like a hawk.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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