North Carolina first to mail midterm ballots amid federal voting-rule fight

North Carolina began mailing absentee ballots for the November midterms, becoming the first state to do so, even as the Trump administration seeks Supreme Court approval to impose sweeping restrictions on mail-in voting. The move creates a de facto deadline in the legal battle over new federal election rules, with uncertainty over whether ballots cast under current state law will be invalidated if the administration prevails. This is a significant escalation in the pre-election legal conflict over voting procedures.