163-258.26. Certified list of approved military-overseas ballot applications; record of ballots received; disposition of list; list constitutes registration.

(a) Preparation of List. - The chair of the county board of elections shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, a list in quadruplicate of all military-overseas ballots returned to the county board of elections under this Article to be counted which have been approved by the county board of elections. At the end of the list the chair shall execute the following certificate under oath:

"State of North Carolina

County of _______________

I, __________, Chair of the __________ County Board of Elections, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a list of all executed military-overseas ballots to be voted in the election to be conducted on the _____ day of ______, ____, which have been approved by the County Board of Elections. I further certify that I have issued ballots to no other persons than those listed herein and further that I have not delivered military-overseas ballots to persons other than those listed herein; that this list constitutes the only precinct registration of covered voters whose names have not heretofore been entered on the regular registration of the appropriate precinct.

This the _____ day of ______, ____.

_____________________________________

(Signature of Chair of County

Board of Elections)

Sworn to and subscribed before me this ______ day of ______, ____

_____________________________________

(Signature of Officer administering oath)

_____________________________________

(Title of officer)"

(b) Distribution of List. - No earlier than 3:00 P.M. on the day before the election and no later than 10:00 A.M. on election day, the chair shall cause one copy of the list of executed military-overseas ballots, which may be a continuing countywide list or a separate list for each precinct, to be immediately deposited as first-class mail to the State Board of Elections. The chair shall retain one copy in the board office for public inspection and shall cause two copies of the appropriate precinct list to be delivered to the chief judge of each precinct in the county. The chief judge shall post one copy in the voting place and retain one copy until all challenges of absentee ballots have been heard by the county board of elections. Challenges shall be made as provided in G.S. 163-89.

After receipt of the list of absentee voters required by this section the chief judge shall call the name of each person recorded on the list and enter an "A" in the appropriate voting square on the voter's permanent registration record, if any, or a similar entry on the computer list used at the polls. If such person is already recorded as having voted in that election, the chief judge shall enter a challenge which shall be presented to the chair of the county board of elections for resolution by the board of elections prior to certification of results by the board.

(c) List Constitutes Registration. - The "List of Applicants for Military-Overseas Ballots to Whom Ballots Have Been Issued" prescribed by this section, when delivered to the chief judges of the various precincts, shall constitute the only precinct registration of the covered voters listed thereon whose names are not already entered in the registration records of the appropriate precinct. Chief judges shall not add the names of persons listed on the covered voters list to the regular registration books of their precincts.

(d) Counting Ballots, Hearing Challenges. - The county board of elections shall count military-overseas ballots as provided for civilian absentee ballots in G.S. 163-234, and shall hear challenges as provided in G.S. 163-89.