The North Carolina NAACP has asked a judge to bar the use of a touch-screen voting machine in several counties due to what it says are heightened risks associated with using them during the coronavirus pandemic.

The request made to a Wake County judge Wednesday says the ExpressVote machines create “unique and substantial risks to the lives and health of voters” because they will be touched by many people, The Charlotte Observer quotes the request as saying.

The request comes more than three months after the group filed a lawsuit against the State Board of Elections and county election boards seeking to stop the use of the machines. The state attorney general’s office asked a judge to dismiss that lawsuit, the Observer reported.

About 20 of North Carolina’s 100 counties have the machines. The group said these counties “are forcing voters to choose between their right to vote, their health and potentially their lives.”

There are other options for voting, including switching to paper ballots or buying machines that don’t require voters to touch screens, Courtney Hostetler, an attorney for the group, told the newspaper Wednesday.

Election officials have been instructed about cleaning the machines and will be asking voters and workers to wear masks and practice social distancing at polling sites, Karen Brinson Bell, the director for the state board of elections, said in a motion filed to dismiss the group’s earlier lawsuit.

Related Stories
‹
Trump’s Executive Order on Elections Is Far-Reaching. But Will It Actually Stick?
President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking broad changes to how elections are run in the U.S. is vast in scope and holds the potential to reorder the voting landscape across the country.
Why TikTok’s Security Risks Keep Raising Fears
Written by KELVIN CHAN and HALELUYA HADERO The battle between the U.S. and China over TikTok comes into full view on Thursday when the social media platform’s CEO testifies before Congressional lawmakers. Shou Zi Chew’s hearing is happening at what he’s called a “pivotal moment” for the hugely popular short video sharing app. TikTok is […]
Top Officials: Nov. 3 Election Most Secure in U.S. History
A coalition of federal and state officials found no evidence that votes were compromised or altered in last week’s presidential election, rejecting unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud advanced by President Donald Trump and many of his supporters. The statement late Thursday, by government and industry officials who coordinate election cybersecurity, trumpeted the Nov. 3 election as the […]
U.S. Officials Link Iran to Emails Meant to Intimidate Voters
U.S. officials have accused Iran of being behind a flurry of threatening but fake emails sent to Democratic voters in multiple battleground states in a late-stage efforts to sway public opinion and interfere in the presidential election. Purportedly from far-right, pro-Trump groups like the Proud Boys, the fake emails were apparently aimed at intimidating voters. […]
Report: UNC Targeted by Hackers Aiming to Access COVID-19 Research
A recent report detailed how foreign surveillance teams and hackers are attempting to steal COVID-19 vaccine research, including from UNC. The New York Times published an article Saturday saying the Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned the Chapel Hill university in recent weeks about hacking attempts. According to the piece, Chinese hacking teams made moves […]
Prosecutors Charge 19 in North Carolina With Voter Fraud
Federal prosecutors in North Carolina announced voter fraud charges Wednesday against 19 non-citizens accused of illegally casting a ballot in 2016. Each defendant voted in a federal election in 2016, and one defendant also voted in 2018, according to a news release from United States Attorney Matthew G.T. Martin’s office. In some instances, the defendants were also […]
N.C. Judge Won't Halt Use of Touch-Screen Vote-Mark Machines
Touch-screen ballot-marking machines will remain in use in North Carolina this fall, a judge ruled in a case in which voters questioned the equipment’s accuracy and health risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state NAACP joined the four voters who demanded in April that the ExpressVote machines — used in roughly 20 of the state’s 100 counties […]
Facebook Beefs up Anti-Misinfo Efforts Ahead of U.S. Election
Beginning Thursday, U.S. Facebook users who post about voting may start seeing an addendum to their messages — labels directing readers to authoritative information about the upcoming presidential election. It’s the social network’s latest step to to combat election-related misinformation on its platform as the Nov. 3 election nears — one in which many voters may be […]
Inaction by Congress Leaves States to Pay for Election Costs
Congress’ failure so far to pass another round of coronavirus aid leaves state and local officials on their own to deal with the soaring costs of holding a presidential election amid a deadly pandemic. That could leave them scrambling to solve problems that surfaced during the primary season in time for November’s election. The coronavirus […]
North Carolina Group Asks Judge to Stop Touch-Screen Voting
The North Carolina NAACP has asked a judge to bar the use of a touch-screen voting machine in several counties due to what it says are heightened risks associated with using them during the coronavirus pandemic. The request made to a Wake County judge Wednesday says the ExpressVote machines create “unique and substantial risks to […]
›