H293 - Freedom to Vote

• Appropriates $18,961,587 in recurring funds annually for the 2023-2025 biennium to the State Board of Elections for election integrity, county election support, and voter services.

• Establishes voter intimidation laws making it a Class H felony to threaten voters or election workers, fraudulently advise on voter eligibility, or conduct mass groundless voter challenges, and a Class A1 misdemeanor to intimidate or coerce voters; creates Voter Intimidation Restitution Fund for voter education campaigns.

• Establishes online voter registration system requiring the State Board of Elections to offer online applications, assistance, submission, and status tracking by December 1, 2023; appropriates $215,000 in recurring funds and $90,000 in nonrecurring funds for implementation.

• Expands early one-stop voting by extending Saturday hours until 5:00 P.M. (instead of 3:00 P.M.) and requiring Sunday voting from 12:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. when offered; revises voter list maintenance to require verification of date of birth and last four digits of social security number before removing deceased voters.

• Directs University of North Carolina School of Government to study and report by February 1, 2024 on creating a nonpartisan redistricting process for state legislative and congressional districts, with intent to implement following the 2030 federal census.