North Carolina 2025 Session Status: In Committee 14 R cosponsors

HB 1231 — No Voter Registration Changes At DMV.

Last action — Passed 1st Reading

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced May 11, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Stalled 26% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 14 sponsors

    2 primary, 12 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (14 R).

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

19 added · 18 removed

Plain-language change summary

In the revised version of House Bill 1231, the main changes include a more detailed list of sponsors and a clarification of how voter registration applications will be processed. The updated bill emphasizes the role of the State Board of Elections in managing the forms and ensuring a quick, electronic transfer of applications. These changes matter because they aim to streamline the voter registration process, making it easier and faster for individuals to register to vote.

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA H.B.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2025 H 1 HOUSE BILL 1231 Short Title:
1231 May 11, 2026 SESSION 2025 HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK H D HOUSE BILL DRH10643-LUe-160A Short Title:
Representative Ward.
Representatives Ward, Loftis, and Howard (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO ELIMINATE THE ABILITY TO UPDATE EXISTING VOTER REGISTRATION ON THE DIVISION OF MOTOR VEHICLES' (DMV) WEBSITE OR AT DMV PHYSICAL LOCATIONS AND REQUIRE THAT CHANGES BE MADE AT COUNTY BOARDS OF ELECTIONS.
Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House May 12, 2026 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO ELIMINATE THE ABILITY TO UPDATE EXISTING VOTER REGISTRATION ON THE DIVISION OF MOTOR VEHICLES' (DMV) WEBSITE OR AT DMV PHYSICAL LOCATIONS AND REQUIRE THAT CHANGES BE MADE AT COUNTY BOARDS OF ELECTIONS.
The necessary forms shall be prescribed by the State Board of Elections.
The necessaryforms shall be prescribed bythe State Board of Elections.
If a previous address is listed, and it is not in the county of residence of the applicant, the appropriate county board of elections shall treat the application as an authorization to cancel theprevious registrationand also process it as such under the procedures of G.S.
If a previous address is listed, and it is not in the county of residence of the applicant, the appropriate county board of elections shall treat the application as an authorization to cancel theprevious registration and also process it as such under the procedures of G.S.
163-82.6(d)(2) shall be treated as timely made for an election, and no person who completes an application at that drivers license office shall be denied the vote in that election for failure to apply earlier than that deadline.
163-82.6(d)(2) shall be treated as timelymade for an election, and no person who completes an application at that drivers license office shall be denied the vote in that election for failure to apply earlier than that deadline.
All applications shall be forwarded by the Department of Transportation to the appropriate board of elections not later than five business days after the date of acceptance, according to rules which shall be promulgated by the State Board of Elections.
All applications shall be forwarded by the Department of Transportation to the appropriate board of elections not later than five business days after the date of acceptance, accordingto rules *H1231-v-1* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 which shall be promulgated by the State Board of Elections.
*DRH10643-LUe-160A* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 …." SECTION 2.
…." SECTION 2.
Page 2 DRH10643-LUe-160A
Page 2 House Bill 1231-First Edition
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Action History

  1. Passed 1st Reading

  2. Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

  3. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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2 sponsors · 12 co-sponsors · 165 not signed on

Sponsors (2)

Co-sponsors (12)

Not signed on (165)

165 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 165 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

elections
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors HB 1231?
HB 1231 is sponsored by Sam Watford (Republican), Joseph Pike (Republican), Howard Penny, Jr. (Republican), Jeffrey C. McNeely (Republican), Keith Kidwell (Republican), Frank Iler (Republican), Chris Humphrey (Republican), Edward C. Goodwin (Republican), Brian Echevarria (Republican), Celeste C. Cairns (Republican), Jerry "Alan" Branson (Republican), Julia C. Howard (Republican), Donnie Loftis (Republican), and Bill Ward (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 1231?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced May 11, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 1231?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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