Sep 26, 2024 Story by: Editor
North Carolina’s State Board of Elections has announced the removal of 747,000 individuals from its registered voter list over the past 20 months, according to a press release issued on Thursday.
In the announcement, the State Board of Elections indicated that a significant portion of those removed were found to be ineligible due to not registering their new addresses after moving within the state or for not participating in the last two federal elections, which led to an inactive status.
Other factors contributing to the removals included death, felony convictions, relocations out of state, and personal requests for removal.
As one of seven pivotal swing states, North Carolina is poised to play a crucial role in the upcoming presidential election, which will see Vice President Harris competing against former President Trump. Historically, only one Democrat, former President Obama in 2008, has secured a victory in North Carolina during a presidential race, although polls indicate that Harris is closely contesting Trump this election cycle.
The state is also witnessing a contentious gubernatorial race between Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein.
This voter roll purge follows a lawsuit filed by North Carolina Republicans, which alleged that the state had neglected to address complaints regarding ineligible voters on the rolls. According to the GOP lawsuit, a Wake County resident asserted that voter registration forms in the area did not request driver’s license and Social Security numbers.
“By failing to collect certain statutorily required information prior to registering these applicants to vote, Defendants placed the integrity of the state’s elections into jeopardy,” the lawsuit stated.
Additionally, Republicans have raised concerns regarding the state’s approval of digital IDs issued by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as valid voter ID. However, a local judge dismissed this claim.
Currently, North Carolina has approximately 7.7 million registered voters. The Hill has reached out to the North Carolina State Board of Elections for further comments. Source: The Hill
