North Carolina Voter Purge NVRA Challenge

Lawsuit filed by two Republican North Carolina voters against the executive director of the North Carolina Board of Elections Karen Bell challenging the board’s list maintenance practices under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The NVRA requires states to make a reasonable effort to remove ineligible voters, voters who have died and voters who have moved residence outside of their current jurisdiction from the voter rolls. The plaintiffs claim that North Carolina has disobeyed the NVRA’s requirements in at least 40 counties across the state by failing to purge ineligible and deceased voters from county voter rolls. The plaintiffs name nine counties which reported more registered voters than the number of eligible voters in the county in 2020, and 31 counties with registration rates higher than 90%. The plaintiffs allege that these outdated records heighten the risk of election fraud and harm public confidence in elections. 

The plaintiffs ask the court to declare that the North Carolina Board of Elections is in violation of the NVRA, and mandate the board’s executive director to implement a more effective registration list-maintenance program. On Nov. 12, 2021, the League of Women Voters of North Carolina filed a motion to intervene. On March 20, 2023, the judge denied the motion.

STATUS: Trial is set to begin July 1, 2024. Litigation is ongoing in the district court.

Last updated: January 31, 2024 1:10 pm EST