Some voters are shocked by a North Carolina law that allows husbands and wives to vote from the same booth, raising concerns about how pressure from a spouse might influence the voting of the other.
Cheryl Schmidt was shocked to see couples voting together when she went to cast her vote early, NC Newsline reported. Schmidt, who recently moved to the state, was shocked to find the practice is legal: state law explicitly allows spouses to occupy the same voting booth if they both wish to do so.
Other states like Michigan allow for people to not enter the booth alone, but they only permit for minors or individuals with disabilities to do so legally.
For Schmidt and others, like a voter who wrote on X that she "watched countless husbands look over their wives shoulders as they voted," the North Carolina practice raises concerns.
I went to the Mebane, NC polling place for early voting in Alamance County. I noticed they were calling people who appeared to be couples up to the same machine. I watched countless husbands look over their wives shoulders as they voted. We have to get this stopped. @NCDemParty
— MichMakingIt💙💙💙 (@michstepstone) October 17, 2024
"You don't know for sure [whether] that wife doesn't really have the ability to stand up to her spouse and say, no, I don't want to be in the same booth with him," Schmidt said, noting it appeared that some men pointed to their wives' ballots to suggest how they should vote. "It's just a little disheartening. In this election, there are so many women's issues at stake here."
On X, a reply to the State Board of Election's post called the law "f---ing insanity."
This is fucking insane. How any women are being bullied. Fuck off with this shit North Carolina.
— General U.S. Grant (@GenGrant) October 18, 2024
Did they verify their marriage ?
What fucking insanity
Dawn Hurdle, director of the Alamance County Board of Elections, stated she had received no complaints of voters being pressured but noted that polling places had installed signs that said, "Serving one voter at a time," and instructed poll workers to ask couples before assuming they want to vote together.
This year's heightened focus on voter privacy has only increased scrutiny of spousal dynamics at the polls. Olivia Dreizen Howell, co-founder of Vote Without Fear, explained, "We want people to feel secure and be able to vote for their conscience."
Voter Without Fear's website offers resources on ensuring ballot privacy.
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