North Carolina's ballot rejection rate hits 3.1% ahead of midterms

North Carolina election officials reported that the state's ballot rejection rate has risen to 3.1% from 2.6% in the previous cycle. The increase follows a new rule requiring voters to use three separate envelopes to submit ballots and identification copies. If any envelope is not sealed correctly, the ballot is rejected. This metric offers a concrete measure of the friction voters face as they prepare to cast ballots in less than a week.

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Alaska on Thursday. The suit seeks to block the certification of the state's Senate race if Democrat Mary Peltola defeats Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan. The federal government argues that allowing independent candidate Dan J. Sullivan on the ballot failed to protect election integrity. David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, noted that he cannot recall an administration attempting to stop certification so close to the polls.

State and local authorities are preparing for various forms of federal involvement on Election Day. In California, officials warned that jail time could result from potential interference. In Minnesota, administration allies suggested the Senate race outcome might be suspect if the Republican did not win. Virginia's Arlington County filed a preemptive legal action to address potential federal agent deployments. The county stated it developed plans for arrests and civil actions, a scenario its government said had never been needed before.

Legal scholars and voting rights groups are coordinating rapid responses. Norm Eisen, executive director of Democracy Defenders Action, said teams are ready to file lawsuits within minutes if federal officials seize election materials. He pointed to the FBI's January raid on the Fulton County election office in Georgia as a precedent. Rick Hasen, a law professor at UCLA, published a white paper urging judges to order copies of seized ballots so certification can proceed without delay.

The Justice Department also requested that Washington state withhold ballots from more than 400 voters suspected of being noncitizens. This move comes after a March executive order required the Postal Service to verify voters, a rule currently blocked by a preliminary injunction. In the background of these actions, Trump officials have not ruled out declaring a federal emergency or deploying agents to polling places. General Dan Caine told a senator in August that the military had no plan to deploy troops, but the President has said he rules nothing out.