NC elections board to notify 1,392 voters flagged as potential noncitizens

The North Carolina State Board of Elections will begin sending letters this week to 1,392 registered voters flagged by the federal SAVE database as potential noncitizens. 

The letters will explain how recipients can verify their U.S. citizenship or request removal from the voter rolls if they registered to vote by mistake. 

The list is down from 1,599 registrations initially flagged in July. State election officials said they narrowed the count after cross-referencing federal data with the state Division of Motor Vehicles and other records.  

“Receiving this letter does NOT mean your voter registration has been cancelled,” the letter reads in bold type.

The letter asks people who are not U.S. citizens to complete an enclosed form to cancel their voter registration. Those who are citizens are asked to contact the board by phone or email and provide proof of citizenship so officials can update their records. 

The letter also stresses that only U.S. citizens are eligible to vote, and lists documents, such as a birth certificate, U.S. passport or naturalization certificate, that voters can provide to verify their citizenship. Those who cannot provide a copy of an official record can submit the document’s identification number and type for review, it says. 

NC has a list of nearly 1600 people flagged as noncitizens on its voter rolls. How will it be used?

“Maintaining accurate voter rolls and ensuring that only U.S. citizens participate in our elections are fundamental duties of the State Board,” said Sam Hayes, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “While these registrations represent a small percentage of our voter rolls, one ineligible registrant is still one too many.”

The move comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled late last month that states could continue using the SAVE database to check voter registration records for potential noncitizens while litigation continues. 

North Carolina signed up for that program last year. 

The database, run by the Department of Homeland Security, has come under criticism for flagging people who are citizens and eligible to vote. Because SAVE tracks immigration status records, its data can be outdated for naturalized citizens who obtained citizenship after their initial federal filings or license applications. 

The 1,392 registrations represent about 0.02% of North Carolina’s 7.9 million registered voters, according to the board.