North Carolina Settles DOJ Lawsuit to Correct Voter Rolls

North Carolina has reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice to address violations of the Help America Vote Act by failing to maintain accurate voter registration lists. The state will require voters on its rolls to provide either a driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number to verify their identity, with over 100,000 registrants initially lacking this information. Those who do not update their records will be allowed to vote only by provisional ballot, and the state has begun contacting affected voters while reporting progress to the court. The agreement follows a lawsuit initiated under President Donald Trump's Justice Department, emphasizing compliance with federal election integrity laws and Executive Order 14248, aimed at protecting election integrity. Additionally, North Carolina declined a federal offer from the Department of Homeland Security to use the SAVE program to bulk-verify voter immigration status, citing concerns about data privacy and security. The settlement and ongoing efforts reflect a broader federal push to ensure accurate voter rolls and prevent fraud without removing voters solely for lacking certain identification information.