North Carolina’s State Board of Elections has removed nearly 747,000 individuals from its voter rolls in the past 20 months, representing almost 10% of the state’s registered voters. The action reflects broader trends in voter roll maintenance across various states, including Texas, which announced the removal of 1 million voters in August.
According to the board, the majority of individuals were removed due to “ineligibility.” Most were deleted for failing to update their registration after moving within the state or for not participating in the last two federal elections, resulting in an inactive status.
Other reasons for removal included death, felony convictions, out-of-state moves and personal requests for removal.
The timing of these voter roll changes follows a Republican lawsuit alleging that the state failed to address complaints about ineligible voters. The lawsuit claimed that voter registration forms in Wake County lacked essential information, potentially jeopardizing election integrity. Concerns were also raised regarding the validity of digital IDs from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for voting, though a local judge dismissed the claim.
The State Board of Elections emphasized that only ineligible records are removed and that new eligible voters are continually added. Currently, North Carolina has approximately 7.7 million registered voters.
This action comes as North Carolina, a pivotal swing state, prepares for the upcoming presidential election. Historically, the state has leaned Republican, with only one Democrat — Barack Obama in 2008 — winning since 2000. Current polling shows a tight race between Harris and Trump, with each receiving 49% support from likely voters, according to a recent Marist poll.
