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The North Carolina State Board of Elections is investigating allegations of misconduct by voter registration-drive workers.
The board said Friday that it received complaints alleging that workers have been impersonating state or county elections officials in Brunswick, Buncombe, Chowan, Haywood, Nash, Scotland, and Wake counties.
The board said it received complaints of people falsely telling voters that they must re-register to vote to cast a ballot in future elections. Under the law, however, voters who are already registered are not required to re-register unless they have moved to a new county. Voters who move to a new address in the same county or wish to change their name or party affiliation should submit a new voter registration application to update their voter record, elections officials said.
Elections officials also received complaints of people going door-to-door, falsely identifying themselves as county or state election workers. Government election workers do not go door-to-door for any reason, the board said.
The board is also investigating allegations of voter registration applications turned into county boards of elections with missing or inaccurate voter information, such as a wrong birthdate or a voter identification number different that doesn’t match what’s on file with state elections officials. It is a felony to falsify a voter registration form, officials said.
“When workers involved in voter drives falsify or alter information on registration forms, it can cause problems for innocent voters at the polls,” Sam Hayes, the director of the state elections board, said in a statement. “This is unacceptable and hurts voter confidence.”
The board regularly investigates allegations of fraud or misconduct. In October 2022, the state board investigated complaints from voters who said they were confused by mailers that included inaccurate information about whether they voted in the 2018 or 2020 elections.
Tips for Voters
The state board on Friday provided tips and reminders for voters as the March 3 primary election nears:
- All voters can check their registration status on the state board’s website to double check if they are registered or see if they need to re-register.
- Voters registering to vote at a registration drive don’t have to return the form to the worker at the drive. Voters can deliver the form in person or by mail to their county board of elections.
- County and state elections officials do not go door-to-door. The board asked voters to report instances of home visits by people identifying themselves as election officials.
- Voters can always ask voter registration workers for their information to verify their identities to make sure they are actually working for election officials.
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