Neighbors on Call's Weekly Policy Update for 11/9/20

ELECTION UPDATE

Following the election on Tuesday,

• Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly retained control of both the House and Senate, though they did not regain a veto-proof supermajority in either chamber.

• Many ballots are still expected to be counted.

As of Monday morning: about 41,000 provisional ballots were cast, 95,000 absentee ballots were still outstanding, and 30,000 mail-in ballots have been accepted but not tallied.

Local boards will continue to review the eligibility of provisional ballots over the next several days, and voters who cast provisional ballots may provide additional information necessary for their vote to be counted until 5 PM Thursday, November 12.

For reference, in 2016 under half of all provisional ballots were counted.

Mail-in ballots that were postmarked by November 3 will also continue to be accepted until November 12, but only some of the outstanding ballots are expected to be returned, as some of those voters may have chosen to vote in person on Election Day instead or not vote at all.

• Final results are expected November 12 or 13, once county canvassing is complete.

• All results are posted on the NC SBE Election Results Dashboard.

COVID-19

• UNC-Chapel Hill announced that it would provide COVID-19 tests for students before they leave campus for winter break. While the tests are not required, the University is “strongly encouraging” students to get tested to “[protect their] family and friends.” To facilitate increased tests, hours for free testing at the Carolina Union will be extended during the week of November 16. UNC-CH is also encouraging students to get a flu vaccine before leaving campus.

Economic and Housing Policy

• On Tuesday theState Court of Appeals ruled unanimously in two cases that a “debt buyer” company could not force plaintiffs who were part of a class-action suit to arbitrate each of their cases separately. The decisions allow the plaintiffs to pursue their cases further, and they could set a positive precedent for other consumer rights cases stymied by mandatory arbitration clauses.

Criminal Justice

• On Monday the ACLU of North Carolina and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed suit against the Alamance County sheriff and the Graham chief of police in response to events Saturday, October 31st, when law enforcement officers in Graham pepper sprayed a group of peaceful demonstrators marching to the polls. The suit seeks a temporary restraining order on behalf of the leader of the march, Graham resident Rev. Gregory Drumwright, and the racial justice organization Justice For the Next Generation.