North Carolina election officials sent the first batch of absentee ballots to more than 46,000 voters.
Posted by Deadline: White House, Checked
- Sources
- 5 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 68%
Deadline: White HouseSep 7, 2026
North Carolina began mailing its first absentee ballots on September 4, 2026, and the more-than-46,000 figure comes from the state officials' announcement reported by The New York Times and repeated by The Hill and Raw Story.
What was said
… Despite the president's push to crack down on mail-in voting, the first mid-term ballots are now in the mail. Today, North Carolina started sending out ballots ahead of November's elections there. As The New York Times reports, quote, state election officials said they would send their first batch of absentee ballots just after midnight Friday to the more than 46,000 voters who have requested them. Then, next Wednesday, Alabama will start mailing out their absentee ballots, and by mid-September, all states must send out ballots to the U.S. Troops and other overseas voters. …
Deadline: White House · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The AP reports North Carolina became the first state to widely distribute mail ballots for the 2026 midterms, with statewide mail voting kicking off on Friday, September 4.[1]
Supports. The New York Times reports that state election officials said they would send their first batch of absentee ballots just after midnight Friday to more than 46,000 voters who had requested them.[2]
Supports. The Hill reports that the first batch was initially promised to go to more than 46,000 voters, and that the ballots were sent to voters hours after the state board approved new guidelines.[3]
Supports. A Mecklenburg County account says North Carolina sent absentee ballots to requesting voters on September 4, and Raw Story reports the first wave went to more than 46,000 voters.[4][5]
Context. The claim's "sent" is a minor tense shift from the NYT's "would send" language, but later coverage confirms the mailing took place, so this does not change the verdict.[1][2]
Sources
5 sources: 1 fact-checker, 1 tier 2, 1 tier 1, 1 tier 3, 1 not rated
- 1Midterm mail ballots start to go to voters as litigation over Trump's order creates uncertaintyapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 2North Carolina Mails First Ballots of Fall, as Trump Tries to ...nytimes.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports, context
- 3NC elections officials alter mail ballot rules just before they' ...thehill.com · tier 1 · cited for: supports
- 4Swing state throws wrench in Trump's anti-mail-in ballot crusaderawstory.com · tier 3 · cited for: supports
- 5Mecklenburg County’s elections director is confident that vo...qcitymetro.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- North Carolina started sending out absentee ballots on September 4, 2026.True
- In North Carolina, early voting among registered Democrats is up 47% and among unaffiliated voters is up 60%.True
- Ballots cast by Black voters in North Carolina are up 63% from the same point in 2022.True
- The Black vote share in North Carolina early voting is almost double what it has been in the past.False