As partisan suspicions over election administration continue to result in some misbehavior at the polls, the State Board of Elections announced some new proposed rules for polling place activities that it says are needed to ensure this fall’s elections run smoothly.

The Senate district being vacated by N.C. Sen Jeff Jackson, D-Mecklenburg, in southeastern Mecklenburg County is one of the most competitive districts in the Charlotte area. And Democrats have acknowledged it’ll be key to their efforts to stop a GOP supermajority in the Senate.

In a competitive Senate district that encompasses a broad swath of rural northeastern North Carolina, Republican N.C. Rep. Bobby Hanig and Board of Transportation member Valerie Jordan posted similar fundraising numbers for the second quarter.

N.C. Sen. Don Davis, D-Greene, entered July with a sizable fundraising advantage over Republican Sandy Smith, whose campaign account was drained by a hotly contested primary fight with Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson.

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In one of the state’s most competitive congressional races, Republican Bo Hines and Democratic N.C. Sen. Wiley Nickel posted similar fundraising totals for the second quarter. But Nickel had significantly more money in the bank entering July.

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Sen. Bob Steinburg is making an early departure from the Senate seat he lost in the primary. He he’ll resign his seat on July 31, which gives him a head start on the six-month “cooling off” period required of legislators who want to become lobbyists.

In southern Wake County’s suburbs, the Senate district held by Sen. Sydney Batch, D-Wake, is one of the GOP’s best shots at gaining enough seats to gain a veto-proof majority.

Second-quarter campaign finance reports were due this week, giving us a window into the state of play in key races. We’ll be taking a look at the financials of statewide races and the most competitive legislative races in the coming days, starting in northern Wake County’s House District 35.

The staff of the N.C. Democratic Party has formed a union, according to an announcement on Twitter this week. “We're proud to work at @NCDemParty and look forward to fighting for fair wages, workers’ rights, and a place at the table while electing Democrats in NC,” the post said.

A new website has quietly entered the North Carolina political news scene. But unlike most publications that cover the topic, ncvoices.com doesn’t list the names of the people writing the articles or identify what organization is producing the site.

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One way for political campaign organizations to obscure their finances is to wait until after Election Day to file final disclosure reports. So even though the information is less relevant weeks later, I like to go back and answer questions that went unanswered during my election coverage.

There’s a lot of talk about the rise of unaffiliated voters, who now outnumber registered Democrats and Republicans, according to State Board of Elections registration statistics. Are many of these people true swing voters – persuadable folks who aren’t loyal to one of the two major political parties?