North Carolina will not send out absentee ballots on Friday as originally scheduled after a Court of Appeals reversed the denial of a restraining order that would have kept Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the ballot.
The State Board of Elections sent new guidance to local election officials that said its attorneys are reviewing the order and determining the next steps.
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"Bottom line: continue to hold your outgoing absentee ballots—both military and overseas citizen ballots, and ballots for civilian voters. We will update you immediately with any further developments," the guidance says.
The ruling from the Court of Appeals came one day after a judge refused to remove Kennedy's name from the ballot.
Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, were due to appear on the ballot as part of the We The People party. However, Kennedy has worked to remove his name from ballots in battleground states after suspending his campaign and endorsing former President Donald Trump.
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Prior to Kennedy suing, The Associated Press reports that the Board of Elections denied the former presidential candidate's request to remove his name from the ballot, saying it was impractical due to the timing.
Attorneys for the Board of Elections contend it would take at least two weeks to prepare new ballots, putting the state at risk of missing a federal deadline to mail ballots to people in the military and overseas by Sept. 21.
