In an effort to ensure adherence to federal legislation, the State Board of Elections in North Carolina has unanimously passed a plan to address missing voter identification numbers in the state's voter rolls. According to an announcement made by the North Carolina State Board of Elections, a three-part strategy will be rolled out to collect either driver's license numbers or the last four digits of Social Security numbers from registered voters who currently lack these details in their records.
The initiative was crafted in response to a N.C. Court of Appeals order and aims to swiftly bring the state's voter registration practices into line with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) that mandates such identification for new registrants post-2004. The State Board's executive director, Sam Hayes, has been vocal about his commitment to compliance. "I’ve said from day one that I am committed to bringing North Carolina into compliance with the law. I believe this three-part plan is the best way to ensure this happens," Hayes expressed in a statement obtained by the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
The first element of the plan involves sending mailings beginning in July to approximately 98,000 voters missing the required identification numbers, who will need to provide this information or vote provisionally until they do so. A second batch of mailings will target around 97,000 voters who previously complied with HAVA but for whom the state lacks current identification numbers. These voters will not be transitioned to provisional ballots but are being asked to submit their details to aid in maintaining accurate voter rolls.
Additionally, county boards of elections will review and amend voter records from now through August, particularly addressing issues where past digitization efforts may have inaccurately logged registration dates. This review also extends to correcting records for inactive voters and advising the State Board on needed amendments. In upcoming elections, prospective voters found to lack the required information will be obliged to initially vote provisional, a flag in their records ensuring poll workers to prompt them to provide the necessary ID digits for their ballots to count.
Fulfilling the demand for improved voter database accuracy, these concerted measures from the State Board of Elections are set to also simplify the voting process for those affected. Meanwhile, public resources such as the online NCDMV voter registration portal remain available for voters to readily update their registration information.
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