H 834

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
  SESSION 2025
  SESSION LAW 2026-60
  HOUSE BILL 834
AN ACT TO MAKE VARIOUS CHANGES TO THE ELECTION LAWS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
PART I. EXTEND TIME PERIOD FOR CURING DEFICIENCIES AND INITIAL
COUNTING OF BALLOTS TO THE FIFTH BUSINESS DAY AFTER THE ELECTION
  SECTION 1.1.(a) G.S. 163-82.4(f) reads as rewritten:
     "(f)     Correcting Registration Forms. – If the voter fails to complete any required item on
the voter registration form but provides enough information on the form to enable the county
board to identify and contact the voter, the voter shall be notified of the omission and omission.
The voter shall be given the opportunity to complete the form and return it to the county board
at least by 12:00 P.M. on the third fifth business day after the election. If the voter corrects that
omission within that time and is determined by the county board to be eligible to vote, the county
board shall permit the voter to vote. If the information is not corrected by election day, the voter
shall be allowed to vote a provisional official ballot. If the correct information is provided to the
county board by at least 12:00 P.M. on the third fifth business day after the election, the county
board shall count any portion of the provisional official ballot that the voter is eligible to vote."
  SECTION 1.1.(b) G.S. 163-166.11 reads as rewritten:
"§ 163-166.11. Provisional voting requirements.
     (a)      If an individual seeking to vote claims to be a registered voter in a jurisdiction as
provided in G.S. 163-82.1 and though eligible to vote in the election does not appear on the
official list of eligible registered voters in the voting place, that individual may cast a provisional
official ballot as follows:
  (1)     An election official at the voting place shall notify the individual that the
  individual may cast a provisional official ballot in that election.
  (2)     The individual may cast a provisional official ballot at that voting place upon
  executing a written affirmation before an election official at the voting place,
  stating that the individual is a registered voter in the jurisdiction as provided
  in G.S. 163-82.1 in which the individual seeks to vote and is eligible to vote
  in that election.
  (3)     A voter who has moved within the county more than 30 days before election
  day but has not reported the move to the county board of elections shall not
  be required to vote a provisional official ballot at the early voting site, as long
  as the early voting site has available all the information necessary to determine
  whether a voter is registered to vote in the county and which ballot the voter
  is eligible to vote based on the voter's proper residence address. The voter with
  that kind of unreported move shall be allowed to vote the same kind of
  absentee ballot as other early voters as provided in G.S. 163-166.40.
  (4)     At the time the individual casts the provisional official ballot, the election
  officials shall provide the individual written information stating that anyone
  casting a provisional official ballot can ascertain whether and to what extent
  the ballot was counted and, if the ballot was not counted in whole or in part,
  *H834-v-6*
  the reason it was not counted. The State Board or the county board of elections
  shall establish a system for so informing a provisional voter, which shall be
  available to every provisional voter without charge and contain reasonable
  procedures to protect the security, confidentiality, and integrity of the voter's
  personal information and vote.
  (5)     The cast provisional official ballot and the written affirmation shall be secured
  by election officials at the voting place according to guidelines and procedures
  adopted by the State Board. At the close of the polls, election officials shall
  transmit the provisional official ballots cast at that voting place to the county
  board of elections for prompt verification according to guidelines and
  procedures adopted by the State Board. No later than 12:00 P.M. two days
  after the close of the polls, the county board of elections shall publish the
  number of provisional official ballots cast on election day, cast by early
  voting, cast by mail-in absentee ballots received as of election day, and cast
  by military and overseas absentee ballots cast under Article 21A of this
  Chapter and received as of election day.
     (b)     If a provisional official ballot cast under this section fails to contain the voter's
signature on the affidavit to certify the voter's identity and eligibility to vote, the county board
shall notify the voter of the lack of signature on the provisional official ballot no later than the
close of business on the next business day following review of the ballot and shall provide the
voter an opportunity to cure the lack of signature on the affidavit. The voter shall be notified by
mail and by telephone or email, if the telephone number or email address was provided by the
voter. The notification of voters regarding curing the lack of signature is an administrative task
that may be performed by county board staff and is not required to be performed at a meeting of
the county board. If the lack of signature on the affidavit is cured by at least 12:00 P.M. on the
fifth business day after the election, the county board shall count any portion of the provisional
official ballot that the voter is eligible to vote."
  SECTION 1.1.(c) G.S. 163-166.12(d) reads as rewritten:
     "(d) Voting When Identification Numbers Do Not Match. – Regardless of whether an
individual has registered by mail or by another method, if the individual has provided with the
registration form a drivers license number or last four digits of a Social Security number but the
computer validation of the number as required by G.S. 163-82.12 did not result in a match, and
the number has not been otherwise validated by the county board, in the first election in which
the individual votes that individual shall submit with the ballot the form of identification
described in subsection (a) or subsection (b) of this section, depending upon whether the ballot
is voted in person or absentee. If that identification is provided no later than 12:00 P.M. on the
third fifth business day after the election and the county board does not determine that the
individual is otherwise ineligible to vote a ballot, the failure of identification numbers to match
shall not prevent that individual from registering to vote and having that individual's vote
counted."
  SECTION 1.1.(d) G.S. 163-166.16 reads as rewritten:
"§ 163-166.16. Requirement for photo identification to vote in person.
     …
     (c)     Provisional Ballot Required Without Photo Identification. – If the registered voter
cannot produce the identification as required in subsection (a) of this section, the registered voter
may cast a provisional official ballot that is counted only if the registered voter brings an
acceptable form of photograph identification listed in subsection (a) of this section to the county
board no later than 12:00 P.M. on the third fifth business day after the election. The State Board
shall provide the registered voter casting a provisional ballot due to failure to provide photo
identification an information sheet on the deadline to return to the county board to present photo
Page 2  Session Law 2026-60  House Bill 834
identification, and what forms of photo identification are acceptable, in order for the voter's
provisional official ballot to be counted.
    …
    (e1) Cure Lack of Signature on Affidavit. – If any provisional official ballot cast under
this section fails to contain the signature of the registered voter casting a ballot on the affidavit,
the county board shall notify the voter of the lack of signature on the provisional official ballot
no later than the close of business on the next business day following review of the provisional
official ballot and shall provide the voter an opportunity to cure the lack of signature on the
affidavit. The voter shall be notified by mail and by telephone or email, if the telephone number
or email address was provided by the voter. The notification of voters regarding curing the lack
of signature is an administrative task that may be performed by county board staff and is not
required to be performed at a meeting of the county board. If the lack of signature on the affidavit
is cured by at least 12:00 P.M. on the fifth business day after the election, the county board shall
count any portion of the provisional official ballot that the voter is eligible to vote.
    …."
  SECTION 1.2.(a) G.S. 163-182.2(a)(4) is recodified as G.S. 163-182.2(a2).
  SECTION 1.2.(b) G.S. 163-182.2(a)(6) is recodified as G.S. 163-182.2(a3).
  SECTION 1.2.(c) G.S. 163-182.2, as amended by this section, reads as rewritten:
"§ 163-182.2. Initial counting of official ballots.
    (a)     The initial counting of official ballots cast at the precinct on election day and under
Part 5 of Article 14A of this Chapter shall be conducted according to the following principles:
  (1)      Vote counting of ballots cast at the precinct on election day shall occur
  immediately after the polls close and shall be continuous until completed. If
  ballots cast under Part 5 of Article 14A of this Chapter are counted
  electronically, that count shall commence at the time the polls close. If ballots
  cast under Part 5 of Article 14A of this Chapter are paper ballots counted
  manually, that count shall commence at the same time as mail-in absentee
  ballots cast under Article 20 or Article 21A of this Chapter are counted.
  (2)      Vote counting at the precinct shall be conducted with the participation of
  precinct officials of all political parties then present. Vote counting at the
  county board of elections shall be conducted in the presence or under the
  supervision of board members of all political parties then present.
  (3)      Any member of the public wishing to witness the vote count at any level shall
  be allowed to do so. No witness shall interfere with the orderly counting of
  the official ballots. Witnesses shall not participate in the official counting of
  official ballots.
  (4)      Recodified.
  (5)      Precinct officials shall provide a preliminary report of the vote counting on
  election day to the county board of elections as quickly as possible. The
  preliminary report shall be unofficial, has no binding effect upon the official
  county canvass to follow, and shall include the number of provisional ballots
  cast in that precinct.
  (6)      Recodified.
    (a1) The initial counting of official ballots cast under Part 5 of Article 14A of this Chapter
shall be conducted according to the following principles:
  (1)      Vote counting shall occur at the time and place stated in a resolution adopted
  by the county board at least two weeks prior to election day, provided that the
  time stated in the resolution is between 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. on election
  day. The county board shall not reveal the result of the count prior to the close
  of polls on election day.
House Bill 834  Session Law 2026-60  Page 3
  (2)      Vote counting shall be conducted in the presence or under the supervision of
  county board members of all political parties then present.
  (3)     Any member of the public wishing to witness the vote count shall be allowed
  to do so. No witness shall interfere with the orderly counting of the official
  ballots. Witnesses shall not participate in the counting of official ballots.
  (4)     County boards may review for approval any provisional official ballots and
  may take preparatory steps for the count of such ballots at a meeting held by
  the county board prior to election day, pursuant to a resolution adopted by the
  county board at least two weeks in advance of the meeting, as long as the
  preparatory steps do not reveal the result of the count prior to the close of polls
  on election day.
     (a2) If the county board finds that an individual voting a provisional official ballot (i) was
registered in the county as provided in 163-82.1, (ii) voted in the proper precinct under
G.S. 163-55 and G.S. 163-57, and (iii) was otherwise eligible to vote, the provisional official
ballots shall be counted by the county board no later than 5:00 P.M. on the third fifth business
day after the election. Except as provided in G.S. 163-82.15(e), if the county board finds that an
individual voting a provisional official ballot (i) did not vote in the proper precinct under
G.S. 163-55 and G.S. 163-57, (ii) is not registered in the county as provided in G.S. 163-82.1, or
(iii) is otherwise not eligible to vote, the ballot shall not be counted. If a voter was properly
registered to vote in the election by the county board, no mistake of an election official in giving
the voter a ballot or in failing to comply with G.S. 163-82.15 or G.S. 163-166.11 shall serve to
prevent the counting of the vote on any ballot item the voter was eligible by registration and
qualified by residency to vote. When an individual has voted a provisional official ballot after
completing an affidavit under G.S. 163-166.16(d), and the county board has determined that there
are grounds to believe the affidavit is false within five business days after the election, the county
board shall determine whether to count the provisional official ballot by the date of the county
canvass.
     (a3) In counties that use any certified mechanical or electronic voting system, subject to
the sample counts under G.S. 163-182.1 and subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section, and
of a hand-to-eye recount under G.S. 163-182.7 and G.S. 163-182.7A, a county board of elections
shall rely in its canvass on the mechanical or electronic count of the vote rather than the full
hand-to-eye count of the paper ballots or records. In the event of a material discrepancy between
the electronic or mechanical count and a hand-to-eye count or recount, the hand-to-eye count or
recount shall control, except where paper ballots or records have been lost or destroyed or where
there is another reasonable basis to conclude that the hand-to-eye count is not the true count.
     (a4) Any resolution required by this section shall be published once a week for two weeks
prior to the election in a newspaper having general circulation in the county. Notice may be made
on a radio or television station or both, in addition to the newspaper.
     (b)     The State Board shall promulgate rules for the initial counting of all official ballots.
All election officials shall be governed by those rules. In promulgating those rules, the State
Board shall adhere to the following guidelines:
  (1)     For each voting system used, the rules shall specify the role of precinct
  officials and of the county board of elections in the initial counting of official
  ballots.
  (2)     For optical scan and direct record electronic voting systems, and for any other
  voting systems in which ballots are counted other than on paper by hand and
  eye, those rules shall provide for a sample hand-to-eye count of the paper
  ballots of a sampling of a statewide ballot item in every county. The
  presidential ballot item shall be the subject of the sampling in a presidential
  election. If there is no statewide ballot item, the State Board shall provide a
  process for selecting district or local ballot items to adequately sample the
Page 4  Session Law 2026-60  House Bill 834
  electorate. The State Board shall approve in an open meeting the procedure
  for random sampling for each election. The random sampling for any county
  shall be done publicly after the initial count of election returns for that county
  is publicly released or 24 hours after the polls close on election day, whichever
  is earlier. The sample chosen by the State Board shall be of one or more full
  precincts, full counts of mailed absentee ballots, and full counts of one or more
  early voting sites. The size of the sample of each category shall be chosen to
  produce a statistically significant result and shall be chosen after consultation
  with a statistician. The actual units shall be chosen at random. In the event of
  a material discrepancy between the electronic or mechanical count and a
  hand-to-eye count, the hand-to-eye count shall control, except where paper
  ballots have been lost or destroyed or where there is another reasonable basis
  to conclude that the hand-to-eye count is not the true count. If the discrepancy
  between the hand-to-eye count and the mechanical or electronic count is
  significant, a complete hand-to-eye count shall be conducted. The sample
  count need not be done on election night.
  (3)     The rules shall provide for accurate unofficial reporting of the results from the
  precinct to the county board of elections with reasonable speed on the night
  of the election.
  (4)     The rules shall provide for the prompt and secure transmission of official
  ballots from the voting place to the county board of elections.board.
    (c)     The State Board shall direct the county boards of elections in the application of the
principles and rules in individual circumstances."
  SECTION 1.3. G.S. 163-230.1(e1) reads as rewritten:
    "(e1) Curable Deficiencies. – If a container-return envelope contains a curable deficiency,
the county board shall promptly notify the voter of the deficiency and the manner in which the
voter may cure the deficiency. Curable deficiencies are deficiencies that can be cured with
supplemental documentation or attestation provided by the voter, including when any of the
following occurs:
  (1)     The voter did not sign the voter certification as required by
  G.S. 163-231(a)(4).
  (2)     The voter signed the application in the wrong place on the application.
  (3)     The voter failed to include with the container-return envelope a photocopy of
  identification described in G.S. 163-166.16(a) or an affidavit as described in
  G.S. 163-166.16(d)(1), (d)(2), or (d)(3), as required by subsection (f1) of this
  section.
    The identification of the two persons witnessing the casting of the absentee ballot in
accordance with G.S. 163-231(a) is not a curable deficiency. Any container-return envelope with
a curable deficiency that is transmitted to the county board shall be considered timely if cure
documentation is received no later than 12:00 P.M. on the third fifth business day after the
election. Cure documentation may be transmitted via email to the county board if the deficiency
is one described in subdivision (3) of this subsection. The notification of voters regarding curable
deficiencies is an administrative task that may be performed by county board staff and is not
required to be performed at an absentee meeting as provided for in subsection (f) of this section.
The voter shall be notified of curable deficiencies no later than the close of business on the next
business day following the county board's review of the ballot by mail, and by telephone or email
email, if the telephone number or email address was provided by the voter on the request form
for absentee ballots."
  SECTION 1.4. G.S. 163-231 reads as rewritten:
"§ 163-231. Voting absentee ballots and transmitting them to the county board of
  elections.board.
House Bill 834  Session Law 2026-60  Page 5
    …
    (b)     Transmitting Executed Absentee Ballots to County Board of Elections. Board. – The
sealed container-return envelope in which executed absentee ballots have been placed shall be
transmitted to the county board of elections who issued those ballots as follows:
  (1)     All ballots issued under the provisions of this Article and Article 21A of this
  Chapter shall be transmitted by one of the following means:
  a.      Mail or commercial courier service, at the voter's expense, and
  received by the county board not later than 7:30 P.M. on the day of the
  statewide primary or general election or county bond election.
  b.      Delivered in person, by the voter or the voter's near relative or
  verifiable legal guardian, to the county board not later than 7:30 P.M.
  on the day of the statewide primary or general election or county bond
  election.
  c.      Electronically transmitted to the county board, if the ballot was issued
  under the provisions of Article 21A of this Chapter.
  d.      Submitted through the accessible absentee portal, if the ballot was
  issued to a visually impaired voter who requested an accessible ballot.
  (2)     If ballots are received later than the hour stated in subdivision (1) of this
  subsection, those ballots shall not be accepted unless required by federal law
  or the ballots are received in accordance with Article 21A of this Chapter or
  the State Board or court order extended the closing time of the polls for every
  poll in the county in accordance with G.S. 163-166.25. If the State Board or
  court order so extended the closing time of the polls, the ballots shall be
  received by the closing time as extended by the State Board or court order in
  order to be counted.
    (c)     Delivering Executed Absentee Ballots in Person. – For purposes of this section,
"Delivered in person" includes shall mean the voter or the voter's near relative or verifiable legal
guardian physically handing the voted executed absentee ballot to an election official at the
county board office or at an early voting site under Part 5 of Article 14A of this Chapter during
any time that early voting site is open for voting, but does not include depositing the voted
executed absentee ballot in a drop box or other location designated for the return of voted
executed absentee ballots. The voted If the executed absentee ballot is physically handed to an
election official by an individual other than the voter, that individual shall complete an affidavit
under penalty of perjury as to how that individual is eligible to return the voter's executed
absentee ballot as the voter's near relative or verifiable legal guardian, as defined in G.S. 163-226.
    (c1) Custody of Executed Absentee Ballots Delivered to Early Voting Site. – Executed
absentee ballots delivered to the an early voting site under Part 5 of Article 14A of this Chapter
shall be kept securely and delivered by the election officials at that early voting site to the county
board of elections office for processing.
    (d)     Counting of Executed Absentee Ballots. – Only those executed absentee ballots
transmitted to a county board in accordance with this section or federal law shall be counted.
    (e)     State Board Rules. – The State Board shall adopt rules to implement this section,
including a form affidavit for delivery in person of executed absentee ballots which shall be used
by all county boards. The rules shall be consistent with applicable federal law."
  SECTION 1.5. G.S. 163-234 reads as rewritten:
"§ 163-234. Counting absentee ballots by county board.
    All absentee ballots returned to the county board in the container-return envelopes shall be
retained by the county board to be counted by the county board as follows:
  …
  (2)     The county board shall meet at 5:00 P.M. on election day in the county board
  office or other public location in the county courthouse at the hour stated in a
Page 6  Session Law 2026-60  House Bill 834
  resolution adopted by the county board at least two weeks prior to the time the
  voting place opens in accordance with G.S. 163-166.25, provided that the time
  stated in the resolution is between 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M., for the purpose
  of counting all absentee ballots except those which have been challenged
  before 5:00 P.M. 9:00 A.M. on election day and those received pursuant to
  G.S. 163-231(b)(2). Any elector of the county shall be permitted to attend the
  meeting and allowed to observe the counting process, so long as the elector
  does not in any manner interfere with the election officials in the discharge of
  their duties. The count of these absentee ballots shall be continuous until
  completed, and the members shall not separate or leave the counting place
  except for unavoidable necessity.
  The county board may begin counting absentee ballots issued under
  Article 21A of this Chapter between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M.
  and may begin counting all absentee ballots between the hours of 2:00 P.M.
  and 5:00 P.M. upon the adoption of a resolution at least two weeks prior to the
  election in which the hour and place of counting absentee ballots shall be
  stated. A copy of the resolution shall be published once a week for two weeks
  prior to the election, in a newspaper having general circulation in the county.
  Notice may additionally be made on a radio or television station or both, but
  the notice shall be in addition to the newspaper and other required notice. The
  count shall be continuous until completed and the members shall not separate
  or leave the counting place except for unavoidable necessity, except that if the
  count has been completed prior to the time the polls close, it shall be
  suspended until that time pending receipt of any additional ballots. The county
  board may recess the meeting in accordance with G.S. 143-318.12(b)(1) prior
  to completing the count of absentee ballots but shall not adjourn the meeting
  until the count of the absentee ballots is complete. The State Board shall adopt
  rules as to how county boards reflect any recesses in the full and accurate
  minutes of the meeting such that a person not in attendance would have a
  reasonable understanding of what transpired before and after any recess,
  including the number of outstanding absentee ballots immediately before and
  after any recess.
  (2a)   Nothing in this section prohibits a county board from taking preparatory steps
  for the count earlier than the times specified in this section, as long as the
  preparatory steps do not reveal to any individual not engaged in the actual
  count election results before the times specified in this subdivision for the
  count to begin. By way of illustration and not limitation, a preparatory step
  for the count would be the entry of tally cards from direct record electronic
  voting units into a computer for processing. The county board shall not
  announce the result of the count before 7:30 P.M.prior to the close of polls on
  election day.
  …
  (11)   The county board shall may meet after the day of the election and prior to the
  day of canvass to count absentee ballots received pursuant to
  G.S. 163-231(b)(2) upon the adoption of a resolution pursuant to subdivision
  (2) of this section. The county board shall comply with all other requirements
  of this section and G.S. 163-230.1 for the counting of these absentee ballots.
  (12)   No later than 5:00 P.M. on the third fifth business day after the election, the
  county board shall announce the tally of all absentee ballots, except those
  subject to a challenge or those cast in accordance with Article 21A of this
  Chapter."
House Bill 834  Session Law 2026-60  Page 7
  SECTION 1.6. G.S. 163-275 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
  "(15) For any person to knowingly reveal the result of any count of ballots prior to
  the close of polls on election day in accordance with G.S. 163-182.2 or
  G.S. 163-234."
  SECTION 1.7. Section 1.4 of this Part becomes effective January 1, 2027, and
applies to elections held on or after that date. Section 1.6 of this Part is effective when it becomes
law, and the State Board of Elections shall notify all county boards of elections and county boards
of elections staff of the provision and its applicability to offenses committed on or after that date.
The remainder of this Part is effective when it becomes law and applies to elections held on or
after that date.
PART II. CLOSING OF EQUIPMENT FOLLOWING EARLY VOTING
  SECTION 2.(a) G.S. 163-166.40 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
    "(j)    At the conclusion of the early voting period provided for in subsection (b) of this
section, each county board shall comply with all of the following:
  (1)    All voting equipment used during the early voting period is rendered unable
  to receive additional votes associated with the early voting period.
  (2)    All voting equipment used during the early voting period is maintained so that
  the tally of the initial counting of early voting ballots is conducted in
  accordance with G.S. 163-182.2(a1).
  (3)    The storage of any paper ballots cast during the early voting period are
  preserved in a locked and secured space, access to which is controlled and the
  chain of custody is limited and maintained, prior to the initial counting of early
  voting ballots in accordance with G.S. 163-182.2(a1), which storage shall be
  separate and apart from the storage of any electronic record of the votes cast
  during the early voting period in accordance with subdivision (4) of this
  subsection.
  (4)    Any electronic record of votes cast during the early voting period shall be
  secured and preserved in a locked and secured space, access to which is
  controlled and the chain of custody is limited and maintained, prior to the
  initial counting of early voting ballots in accordance with G.S. 163-182.2(a1).
  The electronic record of votes cast during the early voting period may be
  detached from the voting equipment for purposes of storage under this
  subdivision."
  SECTION 2.(b) This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to
elections held on or after that date.
PART III. BALLOT CHALLENGES FOR DECEASED VOTERS
  SECTION 3.(a) G.S. 163-90.2(a) reads as rewritten:
    "(a) When any challenge is sustained for any cause listed under G.S. 163-85(c), the county
board shall cancel or correct the voter registration of the voter. The county board shall maintain
such record for at least six months and during the pendency of any appeal. The challenged ballot
shall be counted for any ballot items for which the challenged voter is eligible to vote, as if it
were a provisional official ballot under the provisions of G.S. 163-166.11(4). For any challenge
sustained for death of the voter under G.S. 163-85(c)(6), the challenged ballot shall not be
counted if the voter died between the time the challenged ballot was cast and 11:59 P.M. on the
day before the election."
  SECTION 3.(b) This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to ballots
cast on or after that date.
Page 8  Session Law 2026-60  House Bill 834
PART IV. VENUE FOR JUDICIAL REVIEW OF DECISIONS OF THE STATE BOARD
OF ELECTIONS
  SECTION 4.(a) G.S. 163-22(l) reads as rewritten:
    "(l)    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in order to obtain judicial review of any
decision of the State Board rendered in the performance of its duties or in the exercise of its
powers under this Chapter, the person seeking review must file a petition in either the Superior
Court of Wake County.County or the Superior Court of the county in which the person seeking
review resides."
  SECTION 4.(b) This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to actions
filed on or after that date.
PART V. APPLY TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON THE EXPIRATION OF
CERTAIN CLASS C DRIVERS LICENSES TO PHOTO IDENTIFICATION
PRESENTED FOR VOTING
  SECTION 5.(a) During the time period that a Class C drivers license expiration date
is extended in accordance with Section 18 of S.L. 2025-47, that Class C drivers license shall be
deemed valid and unexpired for the purposes of G.S. 163-166.16.
  SECTION 5.(b) This section is effective when it becomes law and shall expire
December 31, 2027.
PART VI. SEVERABILITY CLAUSE AND EFFECTIVE DATE
  SECTION 6.1. If any provision of this act or its application to any person, group of
persons, or circumstances is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or
applications of this act that can be given effect without the invalid provisions or application and,
to this end, the provisions of this act are severable.
  SECTION 6.2. Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes
law.
  In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 6th day of August, 2026.
  s/ Rachel Hunt
  President of the Senate
  s/ Mike Schietzelt
  Presiding Officer of the House of Representatives
  s/ Josh Stein
  Governor
Approved 8:03 a.m. this 11th day of August, 2026
House Bill 834  Session Law 2026-60  Page 9