Board of Elections finalizes citizenship audit | Eastern North Carolina Now

For Immediate Release:

    RALEIGH, N.C.     The State Board of Elections today completed an audit of more than 10,000 registered voters with questionable citizenship status. The Agency analyzed data provided by the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to flag 1,425 currently registered voters who are likely non-citizens.

    "We are working to ensure that no ballot cast by a non-citizen will count in this or any future election," said Executive Director Kim Westbrook Strach of the State Board of Elections. "Our ongoing partnership with DMV strengthens the integrity of our elections process and security of the voter rolls."

    State Board administrators are preparing guidance instructing elections officials to challenge ballots cast by those identified as non-citizens. The challenge process will provide notice and an opportunity for the voter to present proof of citizenship.

    A private organization last week incorrectly announced that 10,000 registered voters were classified under the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals (DACA) by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The State Board has confirmed that 109 DACA recipients are presently on the voter rolls, but have not voted in any prior election.

    It is a crime for any non-citizen to register or to vote in North Carolina.

    A county-level breakdown of registrants is available online. As of Saturday, 6,617,536 individuals were registered to vote in North Carolina.

    More than 20,000 North Carolinians had already cast absentee ballots as of Wednesday morning.

    A copy of the Fourth Circuit opinion is available online. Election Day is November 4.


    Contact: Josh Lawson

     (919) 715-9194  •  joshua.lawson@ncsbe.gov