Republican officials have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to shorten North Carolina’s recently extended deadline for accepting absentee ballots that are postmarked by Election Day. State Republican legislative leaders and President Donald Trump's campaign filed appeals on Thursday. The North Carolina State Board of Elections had announced in late September that absentee ballots could be accepted by counties until Nov. 12, as long as they were mailed by Election Day. That rule change lengthened the period for accepting ballots from three days to nine.

North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper says  the state will keep its reopening guidelines in place for three more weeks. The move comes as key metrics show a worsening of the coronavirus spread. The state on Wednesday eclipsed 4,000 deaths and 250,000 cases since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, noted that North Carolina saw its highest single-day increases in COVID-19 cases to date on two occasions last week.

North Carolina transportation officials say five workers on one of its ferry routes have tested positive for COVID-19. The N.C. Department of Transportation says in a news release that the five employees work on the Cherry Branch-Minnesott Beach run. The news release says the five employees are recovering at home under quarantine for at least 14 days. They last worked on the route Oct. 20. Seven other employees who were in contact with the crew have not tested positive, but are also under quarantine.