In North Carolina, the State Board of Elections is taking steps to double-check voter rolls for non-citizen registrants. The board recently voted, giving Executive Director Sam Hayes the green light to negotiate with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to use the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database.
The database should help the North Carolina State Board of Elections ensure that registered voters are indeed U.S. citizens, a requirement by law. Hayes believes this is a necessary move, stating, "This is one of the few tools available to us to check for noncitizens on our voter rolls." The process however, is not an immediate one; it's expected to take a few weeks before it's official.
Hayes cites a precedent for this type of precaution. Earlier, Texas ran its list of over 18 million voter records through SAVE, with the operation flagging 2,724 potential noncitizens, according to a statement Hayes gave. This action echoes a growing concern among some states about the integrity of their voting systems and the eligibility of voters.
However, the efficacy and broader implications of such measures have sparked debate. The North Carolina State Board of Elections website suggests that this process is a straightforward means of safeguarding elections, “We are pleased to follow the letter of the law outlined in North Carolina’s Constitution and to make clear that elections are reserved for U.S. citizens,” Hayes told the website.
