A last-minute order from the North Carolina Court of Appeals blocked state elections officials from proceeding with the statutory start of mailing out absentee ballots.

In a hearing the day before absentee ballots are set to start getting sent out to North Carolina voters, a Wake County Superior Court judge will consider Robert F. Kennedy's demand to have his name removed.

While Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sues to get removed from North Carolina's ballot, the presidential candidate is fighting for access to New York's ballot.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has lost twice in his battles to stay on the presidential ballot in some states and get off of it in others. North Carolina's elections board refused to take him off that state's ballot Thursday, with a majority saying it was too late for him to withdraw.

Three registered voters in North Carolina are suing the State Board of Elections, alleging that it violated their constitutional rights. At issue is the board's rejection last week of a petition seeking recognition for a political party that would put Cornel West on the presidential ballot.

State elections officials must wait for the Green Party and Democratic Party conventions next month to finalize the ballot for this year's general election

In a split vote, the state elections board has, for now, denied recognition for three alternative political parties.

Friday is the deadline for new political parties to submit signatures to get on the ballot in North Carolina, and two parties appear to have met the initial requirement.

North Carolina election officials are trying to fine-tune how they verify the addresses of voters who register and cast their ballots on the same day.

The unanimous decision Tuesday by the State Board of Elections means President Joe Biden is the lone Democrat for the job on the ballots and Republican Donald Trump among the GOP competitors. The five-member State Board of Elections chose to stick with the candidate lists provided by the Democratic, Republican and Libertarian parties last month.