Absentee ballots now getting mailed for N.C. Congress runoff

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — North Carolina election administrators say voters shouldn’t fear the new coronavirus while casting ballots in next month’s primary runoff for a congressional seat in the mountains.

Election boards in 17 counties within the 11th Congressional District will begin on Friday mailing absentee ballots to voters requesting them for the June 23 GOP runoff between Lynda Bennett and Madison Cawthorn.

Mail-in ballots are likely to be in higher demand due to the COVID-19 outbreak. State elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell says safety precautions also will be in place at in-person voting sites.