Questions Raised After NC Elections Board Finds 34,000 on Voter Rolls Who Died

The North Carolina State Board of Elections’ recent identification of "approximately 34,000 deceased individuals on the state’s voter rolls" is prompting new questions about why more expansive database checks were not conducted sooner.

The discovery came after officials submitted more than 7.3 million voter records on April 17 to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program, a system operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. While the review was primarily aimed at verifying citizenship, it also revealed outdated records tied to individuals who had died.

Election officials said routine list maintenance has long been in place, including weekly updates from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and coordination with county boards. But the scale of the newly identified records — many involving people who died outside North Carolina — has led some observers to question whether earlier use of federal cross-checks could have caught the discrepancies sooner.

Executive Director Sam Hayes said the expanded review reflects a growing effort to use all available tools to maintain accurate voter rolls. “The benefit of entering into cross-state and federal database checks is that it allows us to uncover issues like this,” Hayes said, adding that the agency is now focused on verifying each case and ensuring only eligible voters remain registered.

Experts note that maintaining voter rolls across jurisdictions is complex, often requiring coordination between state and federal agencies and adherence to legal safeguards before removing names. Federal law also sets parameters on how and when states can systematically remove voters, contributing to a gradual, multi-step process.

Still, the findings have sharpened scrutiny over whether additional safeguards — such as earlier integration with federal systems like SAVE or more frequent interstate data-sharing — could have reduced the number of outdated registrations.

The board emphasized that the presence of deceased individuals on voter rolls does not mean ballots were cast in their names. Instead, officials say it highlights the importance of continuous updates and improved data-sharing across agencies, including the Social Security Administration.

The agency said it will now work with county election offices to verify the records and remove ineligible registrants in accordance with state and federal law, including providing due process protections before any action is taken.

The State Board oversees election administration in North Carolina and has said it will continue expanding its use of data tools to improve accuracy and public confidence in the voting system.