Absentee Voting on Hold in Cumberland County while New Ballots are Printed
Cumberland County Board of Elections is working to design and print new ballots for the 2024 general election without the “We the People Party” presidential and vice presidential candidates listed, following a state court decision.
The Supreme Court of North Carolina, in a 4–3 ruling late Monday, Sept. 9, required election officials to remove the “We the People Party” candidates from the presidential contest on the ballot, including the party’s presidential nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and vice-presidential nominee, Nicole Shanahan.
Cumberland County Board of Elections was prepared to send ballots to voters late last week, which is the state law deadline to begin absentee voting. Due to the court decision, revised ballots will now be printed and delivered to eligible voters who have requested an absentee ballot within the next two weeks. Once edited, and approved by the State Board of Elections, Cumberland County will begin sending absentee ballots, aiming to ensure voters across the state have the same amount of time to cast their absentee vote.
Due to the new design and print time, the State Board is preparing for the possibility that North Carolina cannot meet the 45-day deadline in federal law – September 21 – for distributing military and overseas ballots to voters. The State Board has begun discussions with the U.S. Department of Defense to seek a potential waiver of that deadline.
“We will continue to consult with counties and ballot vendors to determine the feasible start date for distributing absentee ballots statewide, mindful of the goal to meet the 45-day federal deadline,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “This decision imposes a tremendous hardship on our county boards, at an extremely busy time. But our election officials are professionals, and I have no doubt we will rise to the challenge.”
The State Board has asked county boards to strictly separate and move to storage all ballots that had been printed with the “We the People Party” line. This is to avoid any possibility that the wrong ballots are sent to voters.
Through Monday, Sept. 9, 146,603 voters, including more than 12,900 military and overseas voters, had requested ballots for the 2024 general election.
Here are key dates and deadlines for the 2024 general election in North Carolina:
Oct. 11: Voter registration deadline (5 p.m.).*
Oct. 17: In-person early voting begins; same-day registration available.
Oct. 29: Absentee ballot request deadline (5 p.m.).*
Nov. 2: In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.).
Nov. 5: General Election Day.
Nov. 5: Absentee ballot return deadline (7:30 p.m.).*
*Voter registration and absentee voting deadlines are different for military and overseas citizen voters.

PWC receives four public power awards
The Fayetteville Public Works Commission is one of 17 public power communities across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia to receive 2023 Public Power Awards of Excellence.
Presented by ElectriCities of North Carolina, the awards reflect PWC’s commitment to continuously providing outstanding electric service to the community. Public Power Awards of Excellence recognize public power providers for developing a future-focused mindset, strengthening public power, providing superior power, providing customer-centered innovation, and prioritizing their people as their greatest asset.
PWC received public power awards in four categories:
The STRENGTHEN PUBLIC POWER AWARD celebrates communities that build public and political support for public power.
The PROVIDE SUPERIOR POWER AWARD highlights communities that deliver reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity.
The CUSTOMER-CENTERED INNOVATION AWARD recognizes public power providers that innovate and invest to serve their communities better.
The PEOPLE AWARD distinguishes cities and towns that leverage their people as their greatest asset.
“I am proud of the dedication of our employees as these four awards reflect their steadfast commitment and the pride they take in doing outstanding work,” said Timothy Bryant, CEO/General Manager for PWC. “Every day, they consistently provide safe, reliable, and affordable utility services for our community. The benefits of a public power utility like PWC goes beyond providing value for our customers, it enables us to provide reliable service, create local jobs, and deliver exceptional customer service.”
Working over five million hours with no lost time accidents, in addition to the 2023 Awards of Excellence, PWC has received the American Public Power Association’s RP3 (Reliable Public Power Provider) Diamond Designation six times, one of only 2 utilities in APPA to receive this award this many times.
“This year’s Public Power Awards of Excellence recipients are shining examples of the value of public power,” said ElectriCities CEO Roy Jones.
“These outstanding communities prioritize local needs and put their customers first as they develop innovative solutions to provide safe, reliable power with superior service,” said Jones.
“We’re honored to celebrate these communities, and we’re grateful for all they do to provide value to their customers.”

 U.S. Department of Justice to host Hate Crimes Forum in Fayetteville
In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice, Community Relations Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, the Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Department will host a Bias Incident and Hate Crimes Forum on Sept. 19. This free event will be hosted at Fayetteville Technical Community College in the Tony Rand Student Center, 2220 Hull Road, Fayetteville from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. There is a virtual option available for those who cannot attend in person.
The event comes as North Carolina deals with a recent rise in hate crimes.
The Bias Incidents and Hate Crimes Forum provides community members and law enforcement with information related to the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, as well as state and local hate crimes laws. The program engages local and federal law enforcement, district attorneys, civil rights organizations, and community organizations in discussions and information sharing on methods to combat and respond to bias incidents and hate crimes.
This forum includes the following components:
• A panel of law enforcement experts to provide an overview of federal, state and local hate crimes laws.
• A panel of community resources to discuss resources in the aftermath of bias incidents or hate crimes.
• A panel of survivors to discuss their personal experiences of being targeted by hate and how these incidents affected the panelists’ sense of wellbeing, safety and inclusion. (Will not be available virtually).
“According to Justice Department data, reported hate crimes in North Carolina increased from 186 in 2020 to 330 in 2022—an increase of 77% in just two years.”
Doors will open for the event at 8:30 a.m. for in-person registration and light refreshments.