MATTHEWS, N.C. (AP) — A mixup with the first absentee ballots sent in North Carolina caused some voters to receive two identical ballots for the November general election, according to election officials.
Some ballots intended for voters in Matthews were mislabeled withthe wrong names and were shredded before they could be sent this week, Mecklenburg County election officials told news outlets.
When officials printed new mailing labels to correct the mistake, some voters ended up getting two duplicate ballots.
Fewer than 500 voters were affected, Election Director Michael Dickerson said.
The official added that it was unlikely that voters could have cast two ballots, a felony, because each mailing label includes an individual code making it impossible to vote twice.
About 813,000 absentee ballots have been requested in North Carolina as of Monday as millions of Americans prepare to vote by mail to avoid polling places during the coronavirus pandemic.
President Donald Trump, who has made unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud through mail-in voting, tweeted about the incident in North Carolina Thursday.
Just out: Some people in the Great State of North Carolina have been sent TWO BALLOTS. RIGGED ELECTION in waiting!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 17, 2020
