NC Elections Board Withholds Names of Deceased Voters Citing Possible Criminal Investigation

State officials say more than 34,000 deceased registrants were identified on voter rolls as President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin continue pressing for tighter election integrity measures.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections is refusing to identify thousands of registered voters publicly, it says were found to be deceased, arguing the records could become evidence in potential criminal investigations involving alleged fraudulent voting.

The decision has sparked renewed debate over election transparency and voter roll maintenance as state officials continue reviewing approximately 34,641 deceased registrants identified through a federal data comparison.

Elections officials said investigators are working to verify dates of death before determining whether any ballots were cast after those individuals died. If evidence of illegal voting is found, the State Board's Investigations Division could refer cases to prosecutors.

"We are checking the list against databases and information available to the State Board and county boards of elections," board spokesman Jason Tyson told NC Local. "We plan to work with state and federal partners to confirm the information we received and determine dates of death. It is just the beginning of the process, not the end."

The board has declined to release the names in response to public records requests, citing North Carolina's criminal investigation exemption. Officials also referenced restrictions tied to a memorandum of agreement with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services governing access to federal verification data.

Attorney Mike Tadych, a Raleigh lawyer who frequently represents media organizations in public records disputes, questioned the board's legal rationale. He told NC Local that records already considered public cannot simply become confidential because they later may be used in a criminal investigation.

State elections officials have not publicly identified any law enforcement agency actively investigating the names, and the North Carolina Attorney General's Office declined to comment on communications between its attorneys and the elections board.

Breakdown of the data 

Aggregate information released by the State Board shows:

• 34,641 deceased individuals were identified on North Carolina voter rolls.

• 3,203 have already been removed.

• 22,216 are scheduled for removal because they were already inactive.

• 9,222 remain listed as active registered voters while officials continue reviewing the records.

  
  

The board said approximately 38% of the deceased registrants identified were registered Democrats, 32% were Republicans, and 28% were unaffiliated voters. Roughly 64% were listed as white and about 20% as black.

Executive Director Sam Hayes said the findings demonstrate that North Carolina's voter maintenance system is functioning as intended.

"North Carolinians should continue to have confidence in our elections," Hayes said. "Our county and State Board staffs endeavor year-round to maintain accurate voter rolls."

Officials also announced separately that a federal verification process identified 1,599 potential non-U.S. citizens on North Carolina voter rolls, though those findings remain under review. Voting rights organizations have questioned the reliability of the federal SAVE database for election purposes.

What do court records show?

There have been at least 1,619 cases of voter fraud since 1982 nationwide, and 123 cases in North Carolina according to available public records. 

The NC Judicial Branch Odyssey Justice portal website, known as eCourts, is funded with over $100 million of taxpayer funds. It does not have an easy-to-use search functionality that is immediately able to cross-reference possible criminal cases with the NCSBE and federal systems for a public user, leaving potential gaps in public records research. For example, WCAB News could not perform a keyword search for all defendants with pending voter fraud charges without searching each case knowing the defendant's name.

What is SAVE?

SAVE is an online service administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that provides point-in-time immigration status and U.S. citizenship information to federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal agencies. "SAVE is fast, secure, and reliable, and enables registered user agencies to make accurate decisions for applicants seeking benefits and licenses," according to its website. In 2025, SAVE processed 198 million cases.

The expanded use of SAVE for large-scale voter roll audits has faced fierce legal battles. A federal district judge ruled that using the aggregated data tool in its current form to check voter lists violates federal privacy laws, leading to conflicting district court rulings over its deployment for election maintenance.

Election integrity remains national focus

The issue comes as election security continues to receive heightened attention from the Trump administration and congressional Republicans. 

Civil rights organizations, including the Brennan Center, say that the system relies on datasets that may not immediately reflect recent naturalizations, leading to possible error rates and the risk of flagging eligible, foreign-born American citizens.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly called on states to strengthen voter roll maintenance, improve citizenship verification and expand audits of election systems, arguing accurate voter registration lists are essential to maintaining public confidence in elections.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has also advocated for stricter election integrity, including improved voter roll maintenance, stronger voter identification requirements and increased oversight of federal election programs.

“Election security is national security,” said Mullin. “Only Americans should be electing American leaders.”

Supporters of those efforts argue removing ineligible registrations helps protect election integrity, while critics caution that voter list maintenance programs must be carefully verified to avoid mistakenly removing eligible voters.

For now, North Carolina voters cannot independently determine whether their own names—or those of deceased relatives—appear on the list because the State Board has declined to release the records while its review continues.  

Voters, and anyone with an internet connection, may visit the NCSBE voter search tool to view their information. It's a public record.

No evidence has been publicly presented that the deceased registrations resulted in illegal votes being cast. 

The issue has particular interest in western North Carolina. More than 100 people died statewide during Hurricane Helene in 2024, according to state data, including four residents of Rutherford County. State officials have not said whether any Helene victims were among those still listed on the voter rolls, and because the names have not been released, the public cannot independently verify the records. 

State election officials have emphasized that finding deceased individuals on voter rolls does not, by itself, indicate voter fraud and that additional investigation is required before any criminal referrals are made.