According to the SBE, the Registration Repair Project (RRP) aims to ensure that North Carolina's voter rolls are as accurate and complete as possible and in compliance with recent state court rulings, and settle a pending lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Justice. The State Board unanimously approved the plan at its June 24 meeting.
The Law
Under federal law (52 U.S.C. 21803) and North Carolina law (N.C.G.S. 163-82.4), when a person registers to vote, they must provide their DL# or, if they don't have one, their SSN4. This information is used to verify the person's identity. However, faulty instructions on a voter registration form used in North Carolina for about a decade led some voters to register without providing either number. The voter registration form was corrected in January 2024 to make it clear that one of those numbers is required.
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Voters and County Boards of Elections
There is now a dedicated webpage to provide information about this project. There is a link to the Registration Repair Search Tool, which allows registered voters to search the list to see if they are on it. The data in the search tool will be updated every morning to show only those registered voters who still must provide missing data.
Guidance has been issued to all 100 county boards of elections so they can begin scouring election records for the affected voters to attempt to locate identification numbers that may not have been properly entered into the voter registration system, or other evidence that the voter has complied with state and federal laws.
For voters on the list
If you're on the list of the 103,000 voters, the State Board of Elections says you can expect a letter in August from them with details on how to provide the information.
The letter will also include the following:
- A self-addressed, postage-prepaid return envelope and a simple form for collecting the required information
- Information about the secure online NCDMV voter registration portal
- Where voters can update their registration information
Other Options
If you have an NC driver's license or DMV ID number, you can submit an updated voter registration form through the DMV's website. There is no fee for this service.
You can visit your county board of elections office, and they can help you ensure your registration is complete. You will need to have your driver's license number or social security number with you. See the County Board of Elections Search for addresses and contact information for all 100 county boards of elections.
*The State Board and county boards of elections will not request your personal information over the phone.
What's next for NC voters?
The NCSBE says for future elections, in-person voters who still have not provided the required information to update their registration must vote via a provisional ballot and provide the required information when they vote.
The State Board is creating a flag to appear on these voters' records in the electronic or paper poll books used at voting sites to alert poll workers that these voters must vote a provisional ballot and provide the missing information for their ballot to count.