North Carolina election bill draws pushback over ranked choice voting and petition rules

A North Carolina House committee is reviewing House Bill 958, a broader election reform package that critics say adds new barriers for independent voters and third parties. The June 16 meeting in Raleigh centers on provisions that would ban ranked choice voting statewide and restrict paid petition signature gathering. Why it matters: - North Carolina’s unaffiliated voters are the state’s largest and fastest-growing voting bloc. - House Bill 958 could make it harder for independent candidates, third parties and ballot-access campaigns to compete. - The bill’s ranked choice voting ban would preserve a system critics say can force costly and low-turnout runoff elections. What happened: - The North Carolina House Elections Law Committee met Tuesday, June 16, at 10:00 a.m. in Raleigh to review House Bill 958. - The proposal includes election-law changes aimed at clarifying vote-counting rules and making it easier for campaign committees to solicit small donations. - Critics say the bill also includes provisions that would block ranked choice voting statewide and restrict paid petition signature gathering. The details: - Ranked choice voting lets voters rank candidates and can avoid a second election when no candidate clears the first-round threshold. - North Carolina’s 2024 primary drew about 24% turnout, while the second primary that year drew less than 2.8%, according to North Carolina State Board of Elections data. - The Libertarian Party of North Carolina’s communications director Rob Yates, who also serves on the Better Ballot North Carolina board, said ranked choice voting would give voters preferred candidates without wasting votes in runoff elections. - The Republican National Committee has formally opposed ranked-choice voting, saying it would “eliminate the historic political party system.” - Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a California bill in 2019 that would have allowed ranked choice voting in municipal elections. - The NC legislative website bill summary says Section 2.10 would make it a Class 2 misdemeanor to pay someone based on the number of petition signatures collected. - Petitions in North Carolina can be used to call an election or referendum, form a new political party, waive a filing fee, place an unaffiliated candidate on the ballot or qualify as a write-in candidate. - Some petitions require tens of thousands of signatures, making signature gathering a major barrier even before the proposed restriction. - The proposed signature rule could make new third-party ballot access and independent candidacies much harder to achieve. - The current draft bill is available on the NC legislative website as House Bill 958 . - The House Election Law standing committee roster is available here . - The committee livestream is available here . Between the lines: - The measure is framed as administrative cleanup, but the disputed sections go to the core of ballot access and election structure. - Ranked choice voting would likely benefit candidates who are not backed by the two major parties by reducing vote-splitting. - The petition provision appears aimed at the infrastructure that independent and minor-party candidates rely on most. - Opponents see the package as a defense of the two-party system rather than a neutral election reform. What’s next: - Legislators can revise the bill before it advances to the full General Assembly. - Yates said Section 2.5 covers the ranked choice voting restriction and Section 2.10 covers the petition-signature rule in the current draft. - Supporters and opponents can watch the committee session online and contact committee members before the bill moves forward. - Backers will need to get the measure through both chambers and win the governor’s signature for it to become law. The bottom line: - House Bill 958 is not just an election cleanup bill; its disputed provisions could shape who can run, how voters choose, and how hard it is for independents to break into North Carolina politics.