RALEIGH, N.C. — A federal judge has approved a settlement plan resolving a lawsuit brought by the Justice Department under President Donald Trump aimed at improving voter registration accuracy in North Carolina. The lawsuit questioned the compliance of state election officials regarding the inclusion of identification numbers for over 100,000 registered voters.
U.S. District Judge Richard Myers endorsed the consent agreement jointly submitted by the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department and the North Carolina State Board of Elections. Legal representatives for both parties indicated that this agreement would help ensure that North Carolina abides by federal legislation, thereby averting costly litigation.
Filed on May 27, the lawsuit accused the State Board of Elections of violating the Help America Vote Act due to a lack of accuracy in voter registration records essential for federal elections. The state board had previously launched a “Registration Repair Project” in July, reaching out to approximately 103,000 voters to request missing identification numbers. The state currently has nearly 7.6 million registered voters, and elections in North Carolina are often characterized by narrow margins.
Since 2004, state and federal regulations have mandated that registrants furnish either a driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. For roughly a decade, however, state registration forms did not adequately communicate this requirement, leading to numerous records lacking numerical identifiers.
In the past, the Democratic-majority board had updated the registration form but did not pursue contacting voters to gather missing data ahead of the 2024 elections. The absence of these critical identifiers gained additional attention following a lawsuit from the Republican Party in early 2024 and during challenges related to a contested state Supreme Court race.
After the board shifted to a Republican majority in May, the lawsuit was filed shortly thereafter. It pointed to Trump’s executive order on elections, issued earlier in March, which was intended to safeguard against voter fraud and uphold election integrity.
According to reports, more than 80,900 voters have already provided necessary information following public outreach initiatives. The consent agreement mandates that another series of letters be dispatched by mid-December to those yet to respond, with the board required to submit updates to the Justice Department through 2027.
“Today’s agreement aligns perfectly with our ongoing efforts to internally rectify these issues and engage with voters for the needed information,” said Sam Hayes, the recently appointed executive director of the board. He addressed reporters after a recent board meeting, emphasizing the commitment to transparency and accountability.
Voters who fail to provide identification will be required to cast provisional ballots in the upcoming elections this fall. While the first of these low-turnout municipal races occurs on Tuesday, the stipulation ensures that federal election ballots will be counted, provided other eligibility criteria are met. The next federal elections are scheduled for March.
The Democratic National Committee had previously threatened litigation against the state elections board, expressing concerns over the risk of disenfranchisement for eligible voters. DNC attorney Dan Freeman heralded the agreement as a “significant victory” for both the committee and the democratic process.
In a related development, about 98,000 registered voters have submitted required ID numbers that remain unverified by official databases. This discrepancy may arise from situations like name changes or errors in the registration system. The state elections board had initially voted to require these individuals to cast provisional ballots, but during a recent meeting, they opted to allow these voters to continue casting regular ballots, provided they present identification at polling places.
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