North Carolina election officials change mail ballot rules hours before they were sent to voters

The North Carolina State Board of Elections Friday approved new guidelines for mail-in ballots, just hours before they were sent to voters. 

The new guidelines apply to the standards the board will use to decide whether to count a mail-in ballot. This includes requiring officials to disqualify a ballot if the signature on the ballot doesn't match the name assigned to the application or return envelope, The Hill reported. 

Other changes clarify that only a near relative or legal guardian is allowed to deliver a voter's mail-in ballot in person on their behalf, and the new guidelines require officials to disqualify ballots if more than one is included in a return envelope. 

Board members debated the new guidelines, and two Democrats dissented. Democratic member Siobhan Millen said at the board’s meeting that the changes were more than just a minor procedural change since they impact whether a ballot is counted. 

Stacy Eggers, a Republican member of the board, argued that the rules are "simply guidance, updated guidance."