Pat McCrory: North Carolina’s election resilience: A model for the nation
In an election season filled with high stakes and intense scrutiny, North Carolina has once again proven itself to be a state where voters can trust the process and rely on the integrity of election outcomes. Our state has faced unprecedented challenges this year, yet we have emerged stronger, with resilient citizens, dedicated election workers, and a steadfast State Board of Elections at the forefront.
Hurricane Helene devastated communities in the westernmost parts of our state. Entire neighborhoods were torn apart, and families lost homes, businesses and much more. Yet, in a powerful show of resilience, the people of North Carolina did not let this disaster deter them from making their voices heard.
Remarkably, voter turnout across North Carolina shattered records. The State Board of Elections announced that more than 4.2 million voters — 54% of all registered votes — cast ballots at early in-person voting sites, with turnout in the hurricane-ravaged western counties even outpacing the rest of the state. This turnout speaks volumes about the determination of our communities and the strength of our democratic process.
Many deserve credit for this.
The State Board of Elections took bipartisan action to make this process seamless and accessible. The General Assembly wisely granted election officials the authority to change voting sites to account for any locations that were destroyed or rendered unusable. The board also voted unanimously to reassign and mobilize poll workers from other areas of the state to address personnel needs and allow affected voters to turn in their absentee ballots to any county board of elections office — not just the one in their home county.
The General Assembly was integral in building confidence in our election system by requiring ID to vote and paper ballots in all 100 counties, and by banning any voting machines from being connected to the internet. This smooth implementation of these security measures is a testament to the thorough preparation and the hard work of our election workers.
Additionally, the U.S. postmaster general, North Carolina's own Louis DeJoy, led a successful effort to ensure that voters in every western North Carolina ZIP code had access to the mail. This included bringing mobile units into the area to ensure voters could receive and send their absentee ballots.
The success of this election highlights the importance of ongoing efforts to build public confidence in our voting system. Through transparency, security measures and community engagement, North Carolina has become a model for election integrity. I am proud to be part of RightCount, an organization committed to upholding these standards and promoting election safeguards that foster trust and participation and recruiting civic leaders — veterans, small business owners, former election officers and even firefighters — to educate voters. I believe our high school students would benefit from our elections process being included in the curriculum.
Our work did not end on Election Day; RightCount remains dedicated to educating the public about election reforms that enhance transparency, strengthen security and empower voters to believe in the system. Our goal is to ensure that every North Carolinian feels confident in the accuracy and fairness of our elections. Building on the successes of this election cycle, we will continue to advance measures that secure our elections for generations to come.
To the election workers, the State Board of Elections and the voters of North Carolina: Thank you for standing strong, for stepping up, and for showing the nation what it means to have an election process built on resilience, transparency and integrity. This election was a victory for democracy and for North Carolina.
Pat McCrory served as governor of North Carolina from 2013-2017. He is the chair of RightCount North Carolina.
