WIZS Radio Henderson Local News 09-19-24 Noon
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Brame Issues Press Release With Details of Magee Death Investigation, Timeline
– PRESS RELEASE FROM VANCE COUNTY SHERIFF CURTIS BRAME
The Vance County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the death of 21-year-old Javion Magee. This morning, Sheriff Curtis R. Brame, members of his command staff, and detectives met with Javion’s family to express our condolences and to walk family members through the details of our investigation to date. Investigators offered to take Javion’s family to Vanco Mill Road where his body was found. Javion’s family requested to see and were shown evidentiary photos. Local minister Pastor Opie Terrell also attended the meeting and led a word of prayer. Sheriff Brame wants to ensure the public his office is being as transparent as possible, while most importantly, being respectful of Javion’s grieving family.
The North Carolina Chief Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and concluded Javion did not have defensive wounds, and there were no signs of physical or sexual assault. Javion did have hemorrhaging around the soft tissue of the neck. Toxicology results are still pending, therefore autopsy results are not complete at this time.
The following is a timeline of events from the GPS on Mr. Magee’s commercial vehicle, witness statements, the 9-1-1 call, and results of cell phone exploitation, which led up to detectives arriving to discover Mr. Magee’s body.
September 10, 2024, approximately 01:00 hours- Mr. Magee left Hazelton, Pennsylvania after picking up a load of goods to deliver to the Walmart Distribution Center in Henderson, North Carolina. Mr. Magee traveled I-81 South to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, then to Highway 15 towards Frederick, Maryland. The truck gets onto I-270 South and drives to I-495 to I-95 towards Virginia.
September 10, 2024, 06:50 hours- The truck makes a stop at a truck stop on Highway 207, 12 miles North of Ashland, Virginia for approximately one hour. Investigators are working to obtain video from the truck stop to review.
September 10, 2024, 07:50 hours- The commercial truck leaves the truck stop and travels on Highway 1 South.
September 10, 2024, 08:00 hours, the vehicle travels on I-95 South, merges onto I-64 in Richmond, Virginia.
September 10, 2024, 08:20 hours, truck merges back onto I-95 South.
September 10, 2024, 08:50 hours, the truck continues onto I-85 South in Petersburg, Virginia, traveling south into North Carolina.
September 10, 2024, 09:54 hours, vehicle is on I-85 south.
September 10, 2024, 10:04 hours, vehicle enters Vance County and travels to Chex Truck Stop in Middleburg, North Carolina. Surveillance video shows Magee walking into the truck stop alone, using the rest room and getting food from the truck stop grill. Magee is seen walking back to his truck and getting in his truck alone.
September 10, 2024, 12:21 hours- vehicle leaves Chex Truck Stop traveling south on I-85 into Henderson, North Carolina.
September 10, 2024, 12:37 hours- truck arrives at the Walmart Distribution Center in Henderson and the contents are unloaded.
September 10, 2024, 16:53 hours, the truck leaves the Walmart Distribution Center. Within 5 minutes, GPS shows the truck is idling in a dirt parking area in front of 285 Vanco Mill Road, Henderson, North Carolina. Approximately ½ mile from the Walmart Distribution Center.
September 10, 2024- 17:44 hours, the truck travels Northwest on West Andrews Avenue. At 17:49 hours, the truck pulls onto Young Street and is idling. The truck then goes to a parking lot at the corner of West Andrews Ave and Vance Street at 17:53 hours. Magee exits the truck and walks to a local smoke shop at 422 East Andrews Avenue to purchase tobacco products. Surveillance footage shows Magee making a purchase at the store, he is alone. The truck leaves the area at 18:01 hours. The truck travels west on Andrews Ave to the intersection of I-85 and merges onto I-85 south.
September 10, 2024, 18:11 hours, the truck travels to the Walmart Supercenter located on N. Cooper Drive in Henderson, North Carolina. Mr. Magee is seen on surveillance footage from at least 5 cameras walking into the store, making a purchase of a blue in color Ozark Trail rope, and exiting the store. Magee is alone according to video footage while he shopped inside the store and when he returned to his truck outside the store. Magee is seen wearing a white t shirt, black shorts, white socks, and dark colored crocs. Magee uses a self-checkout to make the purchase, obtains a receipt for the purchase and is seen leaving the store with the blue rope in his hand. Magee returns to his truck and leaves the parking lot of the Walmart Supercenter at 18:22 hours.
Further review of surveillance footage from Walmart also shows as Magee was leaving the Walmart Parking Lot on September 10th, he stops, exits his truck, and gives something to a homeless person sitting at the entrance. The person was identified and interviewed by investigators. As a result of the interview, it was learned that Magee gave the homeless person money. Magee told the person that “I don’t know how much it is, but if I had more I would give it to you.” It was a total of $228 that was given to the homeless person. The witness confirmed that after Magee gave the money, he got back into his truck and left the parking lot.
September 10, 2024, 18:28 hours, Magee pulls into the Hampton Inn Hotel located on Ruin Creek Road and parks around the back of the building. Surveillance footage from the hotel shows Magee walking from the back of the hotel to the front wearing a white t-shirt, black shorts, white socks, and dark colored crocs. Magee is also wearing a black backpack Magee enters the hotel alone at 18:32 hours and walks up to the front desk. Magee speaks to the hotel clerk and exits the hotel at 18:34 hours and walks towards the back of the hotel.
September 10, 2024, 18:35 hours, the truck is turned on, and at 18:36 hours, Magee’s truck is seen on video surveillance leaving the hotel parking lot and making a right turn onto Ruin Creek Road.
September 10, 2024- 18:45 hours, the truck approaches the intersection of Andrews Ave and US1 Highway, and at 18:50 hours, the truck exits US1 Highway onto Vanco Mill Road.
September 10, 2024, 18:52 hours, the truck pulls back onto the dirt lot at 285 Vanco Mill Road and the ignition is turned off. Surveillance footage from the area shows Magee exiting the driver’s side of the truck wearing a white shirt and black shorts. Magee is seen walking away from the truck alone towards the wood line on the eastern side of the dirt lot. Magee is carrying an object in his hand. Magee walks back up around a trailer and to the front gate of T&R Tractor & Truck Repair, then walks back to the wood line of the lot.
September 10, 2024, 19:00 hours, Surveillance video shows Magee re-enter the truck and the GPS shows the truck ignition is turned on. From the video, it does not appear Mr. Magee has anything in his hand at the time he re-enters the truck.
September 10, 2024, 19:28 hours, the truck is still in an idling state.
September 10, 2024, 19:30 hours, the ignition is turned off and is never started again. Magee is seen on video walking away from the truck towards the trees alone. The video does not show Magee walking back to the truck after this time.
September 11, 2024, 10:08 hours, Vance County 911 received a call from the owner of T&R Truck Repair of a man with a rope around his neck on the outside of the fence at 285 Vanco Mill Road. The 911 stated that the male was not breathing and appeared to have died by suicide.
Vance County EMS, Bearpond Fire Department and Vance County Sheriff’s Office Deputies respond to the scene. Additional supervisors and detectives were called to the scene to begin the investigation.
Detectives could see the victim had a rope wrapped around his neck a total of 11 times and the other end of the rope was wrapped around a tree branch. The rope was tight. The victim was in a seated position with his legs extended out and his left foot crossed over his right foot. The victim was wearing a white t-shirt, black shorts, white socks, and black crocs. The crime scene was photographed.
No identification was found on the victim, but a cardboard wrapper for the blue rope was found lying next to the victim. The brand of rope was Ozark Trail which is a brand sold by Walmart. A detective took the wrapper for the rope to Walmart in an attempt to identify the purchaser of the rope. It was discovered that the rope was sold to the victim on 9/10/2024 at 18:20 hours. The victim was identified from the use of his bank card at the checkout as Javion Magee. A copy of the video was obtained for evidence. The detective saw on the video Mr. Magee was driving a white semi-truck. The information was passed to those at the scene on Vance Mill Road, who located a truck in the parking lot matching that description.
An employee of T&R Tractor & Truck Repair told investigators on the scene that the trucking company had called their shop requesting they check on the driver because the truck had not moved. The truck was unlocked and investigators found a wallet with an Illinois identification with the name Javion Magee and an address in Aurora, Illinois. The photograph on the identification matched the person found nearby. A cell phone was also located in the truck, and a receipt from Walmart in Henderson for the purchase of the rope with the date and time that matched the transaction date and time on surveillance video just obtained from Walmart by detectives.
Based on this information, investigators contacted the Aurora Illinois Police Department and requested they send an officer to the address listed on the identification for a death notification. Aurora Police Officers contacted Javion’s Father and notified him of Javion’s death. Javion’s body was transported to the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy.
According to KLLM trucking, this was Javion’s first time making a delivery to Henderson. They also learned KLLM Trucking was Javion’s first trucking job after obtaining his commercial driver’s license earlier in 2024.
September 13, 2024, The North Carolina Chief Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy on Javion’s body. The Pathologists determined Javion did not have any defensive wounds and there were no signs of physical or sexual assault. Javion did have hemorrhaging around the soft tissue of the neck. Further findings of the autopsy are pending toxicology. The Pathologists did speak to Javion’s Mother and explained the preliminary autopsy report.
The Vance County Sheriff’s Office has submitted search warrants to several companies hoping to fully access Mr. Magee’s phone. We have been able to see some of the recent searches from Javion’s phone and are working through proper legal authorities to obtain more information in hopes of having a complete picture of what occurred before Javion’s body was found on the morning of September 11, 2024.
Sheriff Curtis R. Brame continues to release as much information as possible about this investigation, again while being respectful to Javion’s family during this difficult time. The Vance County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate and is asking anyone with information to come forward, call the Vance County Sheriff’s Office at 252-738-2200.
Parents Will Call For An Independent Autopsy Into Death Of 21-Year-Old Javion Magee
With a handful of national civil rights attorneys at their side, the parents of Javion Magee gathered Wednesday afternoon outside the Vance County courthouse to discuss the investigation into their son’s death. The body of the 21-year-old truck driver from outside Chicago, IL was found on Vanco Mill Road Wednesday, Sept. 11.
Preliminary results from the medical examiner are in, but attorneys have said his parents will seek an independent autopsy, it was learned during the Wednesday press conference.
Attorneys Harry Daniels and Lee Merritt were quick to point out that the investigation is ongoing, but also said any preliminary report that Magee took his own life is premature.
“It’s an absolute tragedy,” Daniels said, adding that the young man was working to be financially independent.
Daniels said Magee’s parents, Tiara Roberson Gates and Kori Magee, had spent several hours earlier Wednesday reviewing evidence with representatives of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office.
Both parents spoke briefly at the end of the press conference. Magee’s mother asked those gathered to keep the family in their prayers. Kori Magee, who said he’d last spoken to his son a couple of days before his body was discovered, said he appreciated the support the family had received, adding that it had buoyed their spirits over the last week.
“We are here for one reason and one reason only: To get justice for Javion and the Magee family,” Daniels said, reiterating that the manner and cause of death has not been determined and suicide is “grossly premature.”
Attorney Lee Merritt said, “I don’t know too many 21-year-old, gainfully employed, happy individuals that travel into North Carolina, buy a rope and kill themselves. That would be an oddity. It’s a possibility, but we would need more evidence before we jump to that conclusion.”
Video evidence confirms that Magee bought rope at the Henderson Walmart; additional video footage shows Magee entering a wooded area on Vanco Mill Road later. Report of a possible deceased person came in to 911 about 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11.
Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame released a timeline of events Wednesday that provides additional details of Magee’s movements, as well as evidence recovered upon executing a search warrant of the truck Magee was driving and his phone records.
Jason Keith, a Greensboro attorney, spoke to those gathered at the press conference and said the family deserves answers and to hear a thorough explanation of every detail of the investigation.
“The community needs answers and we’re here to apply pressure,” Keith said. “We’re not leaving until we get them. We’ll stay as long as it takes.”
Merritt said the preliminary medical examiner’s report determined that Magee suffered bruising along his neck and had a broken neck bone. Additional information in the sheriff’s timeline reported that there were no defensive wounds, neither were there signs of physical or sexual assault. Results from a toxicology screen are pending.
Many questions remain to be answered, and the family’s attorneys said the main focus is to find out what happened to Javion Magee.
As family members, “you want to know what happened,” Daniels said. “That’s a start of healing.”
Read Sheriff Brame’s press release in its entirety in a separate post here on wizs.com. Below is the timeline of events included in that press release:
September 10, 2024, approximately 01:00 hours- Mr. Magee left Hazelton, Pennsylvania after picking up a load of goods to deliver to the Walmart Distribution Center in Henderson, North Carolina. Mr. Magee traveled I-81 South to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, then to Highway 15 towards Frederick, Maryland. The truck gets onto I-270 South and drives to I-495 to I-95 towards Virginia.
September 10, 2024, 06:50 hours- The truck makes a stop at a truck stop on Highway 207, 12 miles North of Ashland, Virginia for approximately one hour. Investigators are working to obtain video from the truck stop to review.
September 10, 2024, 07:50 hours- The commercial truck leaves the truck stop and travels on Highway 1 South.
September 10, 2024, 08:00 hours, the vehicle travels on I-95 South, merges onto I-64 in Richmond, Virginia.
September 10, 2024, 08:20 hours, truck merges back onto I-95 South.
September 10, 2024, 08:50 hours, the truck continues onto I-85 South in Petersburg, Virginia, traveling south into North Carolina.
September 10, 2024, 09:54 hours, vehicle is on I-85 south.
September 10, 2024, 10:04 hours, vehicle enters Vance County and travels to Chex Truck Stop in Middleburg, North Carolina. Surveillance video shows Magee walking into the truck stop alone, using the rest room and getting food from the truck stop grill. Magee is seen walking back to his truck and getting in his truck alone.
September 10, 2024, 12:21 hours- vehicle leaves Chex Truck Stop traveling south on I-85 into Henderson, North Carolina.
September 10, 2024, 12:37 hours- truck arrives at the Walmart Distribution Center in Henderson and the contents are unloaded.
September 10, 2024, 16:53 hours, the truck leaves the Walmart Distribution Center. Within 5 minutes, GPS shows the truck is idling in a dirt parking area in front of 285 Vanco Mill Road, Henderson, North Carolina. Approximately ½ mile from the Walmart Distribution Center.
September 10, 2024- 17:44 hours, the truck travels Northwest on West Andrews Avenue. At 17:49 hours, the truck pulls onto Young Street and is idling. The truck then goes to a parking lot at the corner of West Andrews Ave and Vance Street at 17:53 hours. Magee exits the truck and walks to a local smoke shop at 422 East Andrews Avenue to purchase tobacco products. Surveillance footage shows Magee making a purchase at the store, he is alone. The truck leaves the area at 18:01 hours. The truck travels west on Andrews Ave to the intersection of I-85 and merges onto I-85 south.
September 10, 2024, 18:11 hours, the truck travels to the Walmart Supercenter located on N. Cooper Drive in Henderson, North Carolina. Mr. Magee is seen on surveillance footage from at least 5 cameras walking into the store, making a purchase of a blue in color Ozark Trail rope, and exiting the store. Magee is alone according to video footage while he shopped inside the store and when he returned to his truck outside the store. Magee is seen wearing a white t shirt, black shorts, white socks, and dark colored crocs. Magee uses a self-checkout to make the purchase, obtains a receipt for the purchase and is seen leaving the store with the blue rope in his hand. Magee returns to his truck and leaves the parking lot of the Walmart Supercenter at 18:22 hours.
Further review of surveillance footage from Walmart also shows as Magee was leaving the Walmart Parking Lot on September 10th, he stops, exits his truck, and gives something to a homeless person sitting at the entrance. The person was identified and interviewed by investigators. As a result of the interview, it was learned that Magee gave the homeless person money. Magee told the person that “I don’t know how much it is, but if I had more I would give it to you.” It was a total of $228 that was given to the homeless person. The witness confirmed that after Magee gave the money, he got back into his truck and left the parking lot.
September 10, 2024, 18:28 hours, Magee pulls into the Hampton Inn Hotel located on Ruin Creek Road and parks around the back of the building. Surveillance footage from the hotel shows Magee walking from the back of the hotel to the front wearing a white t-shirt, black shorts, white socks, and dark colored crocs. Magee is also wearing a black backpack Magee enters the hotel alone at 18:32 hours and walks up to the front desk. Magee speaks to the hotel clerk and exits the hotel at 18:34 hours and walks towards the back of the hotel.
September 10, 2024, 18:35 hours, the truck is turned on, and at 18:36 hours, Magee’s truck is seen on video surveillance leaving the hotel parking lot and making a right turn onto Ruin Creek Road.
September 10, 2024- 18:45 hours, the truck approaches the intersection of Andrews Ave and US1 Highway, and at 18:50 hours, the truck exits US1 Highway onto Vanco Mill Road.
September 10, 2024, 18:52 hours, the truck pulls back onto the dirt lot at 285 Vanco Mill Road and the ignition is turned off. Surveillance footage from the area shows Magee exiting the driver’s side of the truck wearing a white shirt and black shorts. Magee is seen walking away from the truck alone towards the wood line on the eastern side of the dirt lot. Magee is carrying an object in his hand. Magee walks back up around a trailer and to the front gate of T&R Tractor & Truck Repair, then walks back to the wood line of the lot.
September 10, 2024, 19:00 hours, Surveillance video shows Magee re-enter the truck and the GPS shows the truck ignition is turned on. From the video, it does not appear Mr. Magee has anything in his hand at the time he re-enters the truck.
September 10, 2024, 19:28 hours, the truck is still in an idling state.
September 10, 2024, 19:30 hours, the ignition is turned off and is never started again. Magee is seen on video walking away from the truck towards the trees alone. The video does not show Magee walking back to the truck after this time.
September 11, 2024, 10:08 hours, Vance County 911 received a call from the owner of T&R Truck Repair of a man with a rope around his neck on the outside of the fence at 285 Vanco Mill Road. The 911 stated that the male was not breathing and appeared to have died by suicide.
Home And Garden Show
On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Extension:
- Vance County Regional Farmers Market is open on Saturday from 8am-1pm.
- Fall Vegetable Garden Workshop on September 30th, at 6:30pm at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market. Led by Wayne Rowland.
- Register for this workshop by calling the Vance County Cooperative Extension at (252) 438-8188.
- Soil Samples are still Free of charge. Collect them now.
- Now is a good time to order your Spring Flowering Bulbs.
- There is still time to renovate your Tall Fescue Lawn. From now until October 1st. Use a 3-variety fescue mix when renovating.
- If you haven’t applied your fertilizer to your Tall Fescue Lawn, you need to apply one pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet by the end of this month.
- Check you crops for insects and maintain good weed control.
The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is located at 210 Southpark Dr., Henderson, NC 27536.
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TownTalk: Night Out Against Crime Tuesday, Oct. 1
The community is invited to the Henderson-Vance County Night Out Against Crime that will be held Tuesday, Oct. 1 beginning at 5 p.m. along Breckenridge Street near the police station.
Local law enforcement agencies and other first responders will join a host of community partners and resource groups that serves as a way to build rapport with civilians and strengthen working relationships among those who protect and serve.
Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame said the event “is a great opportunity to get to know them and them to know us.” Too often, Brame said, children interact with law enforcement officers in domestic or otherwise violent situations.
The Night Out Against Crime gives adults and children alike the opportunity to chat and share a positive experience.
Henderson Police Capt. Joey Ferguson said the opening ceremony begins at 5 p.m., and then folks will be free to visit the various booths and tents – and enjoy a free meal of a hotdog, chips and drink. Child attendees will get a swag bag full of goodies as well.
“Last year was really good and we hope this year’s even better,” Ferguson said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.
Brame said he looks forward to the networking opportunity the Night Out Against Crime creates. He makes it a point to visit schools each week “to meet kids where they’re at,” and the annual Night Out event provides another chance for children to see uniformed officers up close and personal.
Ferguson said, “We really enjoy having the opportunity to engage community members – and especially kids,” and Night Out helps shine a positive light.
“They’re not seeing us when they’re at their worst,” he said, “when they’re going through a traumatic situation.”
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TownTalk: H-V Chamber 2024 Leadership Vance Graduation
Members of the 2024 Leadership Vance class gathered Tuesday night to celebrate their graduation from the program, reminisce a bit about their time together as they learned about their community and pledged to keep Vance County moving in a positive direction.
Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce President Sandra Wilkerson and Chamber Board Chair Margier White got the ceremony underway following dinner at Kerr Lake Country Club.
Sixteen individuals received their graduation certificates – some have spent their whole lives in Vance County and others have relocated for work or other reasons.
Alicia Campbell is a Vance County native, and she told the group that she had learned a lot about the county she was born in. Campbell said she believes the class members have formed friendships that will last far beyond their time together touring businesses and learning what Vance County has to offer.
Fellow classmate Richard Davis took a moment to recall the extensive schedule the class followed, which included visiting 66 different venues. At those businesses, offices and governmental agencies, Davis noted that 178 took time out of their day to have Leadership Vance visit. “They were excited to speak to us,” he said.
Each Leadership Vance class completes a community service project, and the 2024 class decided to go one better and complete two projects.
Gary Band, editor at The Daily Dispatch, reported that the community garden is installed and will be ready to receive vegetable plants at the appropriate time, which ultimately will be harvested and shared with the men at the new City of Hope men’s shelter.
Laura Pendergrass, with Century 21 Realty, chaired the second project which involved collecting children’s books to be used in two Little Libraries – one at Fox Pond Park and a second at Chestnut Street Park.
Both projects are symbolic of the ongoing commitment by class members, which will help build relationships, strengthen the community and make Vance County the best it can be.
“It’s going to happen,” said Davis. “We just have to wait for it – and keep working.”
Following is the list of 2024 Leadership Vance graduates:
Susan Abbott, individual Chamber member
Gary Band, The Daily Dispatch
Alicia Campbell, Vance County
Richard Davis, A.R. Perry Glass
Susann Elliott, M.R. Williams
David Figueroa, Benchmark Community Bank
Krystal Foxx, Vance-Granville Community College
Xavier Hargrove, Hargrove Appraisals
Kimberly Lewis, Henderson Police Department
Cindy Norwood, City of Henderson
Bobby Orr, Charles Boyd Chevy
Laura Pendergrass, Century 21
Lance Stallings, Vance Charter School
Luke Stark, Wm. L. Stark, CPA
Elizabeth Townsend, Duke Energy
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WIZS Radio Henderson Local News 09-18-24 Noon
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Maria Parham Health Offers Prostate Cancer Screening Sept. 19
– Information courtesy of Maria Parham Health
Maria Parham Health is sponsoring a free prostate cancer screening clinic Thursday, Sept. 19 as part of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
The American Cancer Society recommends an annual screening for men ages 50 and older. The screening event will be held from 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., according to MPH Public Information Officer Donna Young. No appointment is necessary, just show up. The screening should take about 15 minutes.
African-American men and those with a history of prostate cancer are considered at higher risk, and should consider getting screened at age 45. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men; early detection is crucial and can be lifesaving.
Prostate cancer is highly treatable when detected early, and this screening could make a significant difference for you or a loved one.
For more information, please call 252.436.1656 or visit https://www.MariaParham.com/event/56
State Board of Elections: Sept. 20 Deadline For Counties To Send Absentee Ballots For Military, Overseas Voters
- Information from the N.C. State Board of Elections
All 100 county boards of elections must send absentee ballots to eligible military and overseas citizens who requested them for the 2024 general election on Friday, Sept. 20, under a new schedule released by the State Board of Elections.
The board also set Sept. 24 as the date to start sending absentee ballots to other voters who have requested ballots by mail, including those who use the Visually Impaired Portal to request and return their ballots.
This schedule ensures that North Carolina will meet the federal law requirement to distribute ballots to voters under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) by the 45th day before the election – Sept. 21.
County boards were prepared to send absentee ballots out on Sept. 6, the deadline for absentee ballots to be sent under state law. However, rulings by the N.C. Court of Appeals and N.C. Supreme Court required election officials to remove the We The People party line from the presidential contest on the ballot, including the party’s presidential nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and vice-presidential nominee, Nicole Shanahan.
In North Carolina, any registered voter can vote using an absentee ballot after submitting a request for the ballot. Voters can request their absentee ballot at votebymail.ncsbe.gov. The deadline for absentee requests is Oct. 29. However, election officials urge voters who wish to vote by mail to request their ballot soon, so it can be completed and returned to the voter’s county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. Election Day – Nov. 5.
Through Thursday, more than 166,000 voters – including more than 13,600 military and overseas voters – have requested ballots in North Carolina.
During the past week, State Board staff, county boards of elections staff and voting system and printing vendors have worked to code, design, proof and print new ballots without the We The People party line. Staff have worked to devise contingency plans to ensure that ballots could be delivered as soon as practicable.
Due to the timelines for the printing, delivery and assembly of all absentee ballots in every county, the State Board concluded that the only way to meet the federal deadline for military and overseas citizens was to establish separate dates for distributing absentee ballots.
Election officials will first focus on distributing the military and overseas citizen ballots, which is a smaller group of ballots. Currently, about 8 percent of 2024 absentee requests are from military and overseas citizen voters.
State Board staff have arranged for special on-demand ballot printers to be positioned around the state to fulfill any orders for military and overseas citizen ballots for counties whose orders from their print vendors will not arrive in time for those ballots to be prepared for mailing by next Friday. These special printers can print any ballot style approved for use in the state. There are nearly 2,350 different ballot styles statewide for this election.
Meanwhile, staff will work over the weekend and through next week to prepare the online portal for electronic delivery and return of ballots that is available for military and overseas citizen voters. Nearly 90 percent of military and overseas citizen voters opt for this electronic ballot delivery feature.
This plan allows time for the much larger orders of absentee ballots for all other voters to be printed and delivered to the county boards in time for counties to prepare their outgoing absentee ballot packages for mailing on Sept. 24.
“This schedule is only possible because of the hard work of elections professionals across this state that will continue throughout the next week,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “Because of them, we expect to meet the federal deadline for ballot delivery, and North Carolinians can finally start voting in this important election.”
The State Board has received many questions about the statewide cost of reprinting ballots. Preliminary estimates show the costs vary widely by county, depending on how many ballots must be reprinted and other factors. Estimates range from a few thousand dollars in some smaller counties to $18,000 in Caldwell County, $55,100 in Durham County and $300,000 in Wake County, home to the most registered voters in the state.
Here are key dates and deadlines for the 2024 general election in North Carolina:
Sept. 20: Ballots distributed to military and overseas citizen voters who have requested them.
Sept. 24: Absentee ballots distributed to all other voters who have requested them.
Oct. 11: Voter registration deadline (5 p.m.).*
Oct. 17: In-person early voting begins; same-day registration available.
Oct. 29: Absentee ballot request deadline (5 p.m.).*
Nov. 2: In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.).
Nov. 5: General Election Day.
Nov. 5: Absentee ballot return deadline (7:30 p.m.).*
*Voter registration and absentee voting deadlines are different for military and overseas citizen voters.