By CJ Staff
Raleigh, NC – The North Carolina State Board of Elections announced Monday that it has identified approximately 34,000 dead people on the state’s voter rolls through a federal database comparison, describing the effort as part of routine list maintenance.
“While we expected to find some cases, this is higher than we anticipated,” said Sam Hayes, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “The benefit of entering into cross-state and federal database checks is that it allows us to uncover issues like this. Our goal is to use every available and legal tool at our disposal to achieve the most accurate voter rolls possible. Now, we must roll up our sleeves and begin the hard work to act of verifying that every person registered to vote in North Carolina is eligible. Our team, along with our state and federal will do what’s necessary to meet this responsibility.”
The board cautioned that the discovery did not necessarily indicate fraud, but rather reflects an ongoing process of updating voter registration records through data comparison. In April, the state board submitted 7,397,734 voter records to the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database.
“Voter roll maintenance is a core component of election integrity, and it starts with effective management,” said North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek in a press statement Monday. “The State Board of Elections is leading on voter roll cleanup, getting work done quickly and efficiently. This marks another positive step toward ensuring our state has secure elections, where only eligible voters are casting ballots.”
The NCSBE said that the database search sends voters’ names, dates of birth, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which then performs a cross check with the Social Security Administration.
Changes to Election Oversight
The update comes as North Carolina continues to operate under a restructured elections oversight system after the General Assembly moved NCSBE oversight authority from the governor’s office to the Office of the State Auditor. The OSA now appoints members to the State Board of Elections and county boards of elections, and oversees the board’s budget.
In an interview with Carolina Journal last year, Boliek discussed the changes, saying that his goal was to ensure the board functions effectively and maintains public confidence, emphasizing the importance of experienced leadership and continuity during the transition.
“What is the Board of Elections doing when they’re not running elections if they’re not maintaining accurate voter files? That seems to me to be Management 101,” he said at the time.
North Carolina elections board members also recently approved new rules establishing how county boards will use the federal SAVE database to flag “potential noncitizens” on the state’s voter rolls. Under the process, counties must first check their own records for proof of citizenship and, if none is found, begin a formal challenge procedure that includes notifying the voter and providing opportunities to present documentation and participate in hearings before any eligibility decision is made.
Ongoing Focus on Election Administration
North Carolina’s voter roll update comes amid broader national debate over election policy.
According to reporting from The Hill, the SAVE Act, federal legislation focused on voter eligibility requirements, remains stalled in the US Senate, leaving its future uncertain. The bill has been a focal point in ongoing discussions in Washington over election integrity and voter access, with lawmakers divided over its approach. This week, President Donald Trump renewed calls for Republicans to “terminate” the filibuster to pass it.
The US House passed the SAVE Act on Feb. 11 by a 218–213 vote with North Carolina’s congressional delegation split along party lines. North Carolina’s Republican representatives voted in favor of the measure requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, while North Carolina’s Democratic members opposed it.