Board of Elections across North Carolina work to update registered voters info ahead of 2026

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- We're learning more about another group of North Carolina voters whose identification needs to be validated.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections (SBOE) said this group impacts about 98,000 voters. Board leaders announced during a board of elections meeting on Monday morning.

SBOE leaders are working with county boards to validate these voters' driver's licenses or the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.

State board leaders said that means working with the DMV, Social Security Administration, and even the Department of Corrections.

According to NC Board of Elections Executive Director Sam Hayes, when it comes to voting, this group will still be able to vote on Election Day if they bring a valid photo id or another form of identification approved under the Help America Vote Act.

"What we're trying to do here is comport with the letter and the spirit of the law. It just cannot be the case that we attempt only one time to validate this information. If it doesn't validate, we don't try again. We're going to keep that voter flagged in our system and continue to try to collect that information. But the law is clear that their vote must count if they were duly registered. And they have provided that document," explained Hayes.

County Boards of Elections will begin training to prepare voters for the 2026 election cycle.

The Registration Repair Project was launched in July. The SBOE says it's a comprehensive effort to collect identification numbers, which include driver's license numbers or the last four digits of social security numbers for about 103,000 voters. The SBE says that information is missing for those individuals on the state's voter rolls.

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.

In August Durham County Board of Elections released its Registration Repair Dashboard, a visual report that highlights the more than 4,000 Durham County voters who are affected by the North Carolina State Board of Elections' Registration Repair Project.

On the dashboard, residents can see a list of voters who must provide their North Carolina driver's license/DMV ID number or the last four digits of their Social Security Number to election officials.

The NCSBE began mailing letters on Aug. 18 to affected voters.