The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.North Carolina Prohibits Discarding Ballots Based on Post-Election Rule Changes and Speeds Up Election Lawsuits
Last action · April 3, 2025: Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House (House action)Sponsors: Phil Rubin and 33 others
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
House Bill 691 prohibits state bodies, courts, and election officials from invalidating ballots or election results using rules or legal interpretations that were not in effect on election day. The measure requires adjudicators to protect votes cast in good-faith reliance on established procedures, and mandates that any election-related lawsuits filed within 90 days of absentee voting or after an election be heard on an expedited schedule before a three-judge panel in Wake County.
The legislation alters how post-election disputes and pre-election voting lawsuits are litigated in state courts, restricting authorities from throwing out ballots due to legal changes made after voters cast them.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Voters
Voters gain legal protection ensuring their cast ballots cannot be disqualified by post-election rule changes or technical registration errors.
State Board and County Boards of Elections
Election boards must adhere to strict deadlines for service in litigation and cannot exclude votes based on post-election legal interpretations.
Plaintiffs in Election Litigation
Litigants filing election challenges near an election face accelerated court schedules, mandatory Wake County venue requirements, and three-judge panel reviews.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if election procedures change while early voting or election day is underway?
Where must lawsuits challenging election procedures close to an election be filed?
Can a technical voter registration error be used to invalidate a cast ballot?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
3 actions- Apr 3, 2025HouseRef To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
- Apr 3, 2025HousePassed 1st Reading
- Apr 2, 2025HouseIntroducedFiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 29 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Establishment of Retroactivity Restrictions on Election Rules
The bill creates a statutory prohibition against applying post-election legal interpretations or new administrative procedures to invalidate previously cast ballots.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.ncleg.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance80How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz65Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools