Washington, DC – Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE), a non-profit organization that supports litigation to protect election security and integrity, today filed suit against the North Carolina State Board of Elections (“NCSBE”) to ensure that only eligible citizens can vote in North Carolina elections. North Carolina’s Constitution specifically requires individuals to reside in the state in order to vote. However, a state statute directly conflicts with this requirement by permitting those to vote who claim to be citizens but have never resided in North Carolina or even the United States. This statute is unconstitutional and must be struck down to ensure that only ballots cast by eligible resident citizens count.
The NCSBE has also directed county officials to disregard important voter ID requirements for these voters. Federal and state laws require officials to match individuals’ driver’s license or the last four digits of social security numbers when they register to vote. When officials are unable to verify these numbers when checking official databases, the federal Help America Vote Act (“HAVA”) and state law require these voters to provide ID when returning their ballots. Federal law exempts military and certain overseas voters from this ID requirement, but not those have never resided in the United States. The NCSBE has unlawfully applied this federal exemption to these voters and they must be stopped.
Derek Lyons, RITE’s CEO and President, issued the following statement:
“The North Carolina Constitution’s voter qualifications unequivocally require residency. However, the state is permitting individuals who have never resided in North Carolina, let alone the United States, to vote in all of the state’s elections, from President down to local offices.
“To make matters worse, the state’s Board of Elections has instructed county officials to ignore important laws that help verify the citizenship and identity of these ‘never resided’ voters.
“Voting for our eligible military and overseas should be easy, but that does not extend to those ineligible to vote, nor does it mean ignoring crucial verification requirements for others living in foreign countries who claim to be citizens.
“We are confident that the courts will order North Carolina to end its unlawful practices that are undermining citizens’ confidence in overseas voting.”
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