More than 8,000 Cumberland County voters receive registration update letters

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- More than 241,000 voters across North Carolina, including about 8,300 in Cumberland County, recently received letters asking them to update their voter registration information.

The mailing, sent by the North Carolina State Board of Elections, is part of a statewide effort to ensure voter records match current databases and remain accurate.

Officials say the letters were sent to so-called "legacy voters," people who registered before 2002, when photo identification was not required. As a result, some older records may not include information now required under state and federal law.

It comes down to making sure your information matches the current database. The state is asking voters who registered before 2002 to update their information.

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Deborah Brown Patterson said she was confused when her mother, Mary Brown, received one of the letters. The two visited the Cumberland County Board of Elections to verify their records.

"I said, What in the world are you getting this letter for? Because she has been voting all her life. We voted last time, you know. So I just didn't understand why she received a letter. And while I was up there, I asked them to check and see if I was going to get a letter so I can go ahead and do what I have to do." Patterson said.

Angela Amaro, director of the Cumberland County Board of Elections, said her office has fielded questions from concerned voters.

"Why am I getting these letters? That's our big question. Why am I getting this letter? Why did you send it to me?" she said.

Amaro emphasized the letters are not a scam but part of a statewide initiative to keep voter data accurate and up to date.

"It's important because if they move out of state or if they become deceased, that information is on their death certificate for the deceased, like the last four," Amaro said. "So we can match it up, make sure we get the right voter. If they move out of state or out of the county, we can match up the driver's license, Social Security numbers with our records, with what they have in the new place."

The letter asks voters to provide their date of birth and either a North Carolina driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number.

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Under the federal Help America Vote Act and state law, new voter registrations must include this information so election officials can validate voter records.

For Patterson and Brown, who have voted for decades, ensuring their information was correct brought peace of mind.

"Instead of me mailing it or going on the computer, I wanted to come in person because, you know, mail can get lost. Anything can happen on the computer. So we went to the Board of Election and I filled out some paperwork and turned it in so she'll be able to vote," Patterson said.

Election officials said the effort will not affect anyone's current registration status.

Updating information is optional and can be done before or on Election Day. Voters may return the form by mail, complete it online, or visit their local board of elections office in person.

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