North Carolina to Begin Removing Noncitizens From Voter Rolls

The North Carolina State Board of Elections announced last Thursday that the state will soon begin identifying and removing registered voters who are not American citizens from voter rolls across North Carolina.

Officials say the state will use the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database, known as SAVE, through an agreement with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The system will review voters’ names, dates of birth, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers to verify citizenship status.

Sam Hayes, executive director of the State Board of Elections, said the effort is aimed at improving the accuracy of the state’s voter records while ensuring that only eligible voters cast ballots.

Under North Carolina law, only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote in state elections, and registering to vote as a noncitizen is considered a felony.

Election officials say there is no evidence of a widespread issue. However, a review of the 2016 general election found that out of nearly 4.8 million ballots cast, 41 noncitizens with legal residency status, including some with green cards, improperly voted.

The board says safeguards will be in place during the review process to help ensure that eligible voters are not mistakenly removed.

North Carolina currently has more than 7.7 million registered voters statewide.