State Board Investigating Reports Of Misconduct By Voter Registration Drive Workers

RALEIGH – Investigators at the State Board of Elections are looking into allegations of misconduct by individuals conducting voter registration drives, including that they are impersonating state or county election officials.

In recent months, reports have come from Brunswick, Buncombe, Chowan, Haywood, Nash, Scotland, and Wake counties.

Complaints, which mirror others lodged in recent years, include the following:

• Individuals working as part of voter registration drives are misinforming voters that they must re-register to vote to cast a ballot in future elections, no matter the circumstances. That is not true. Voters who are already registered are not required to re-register unless they have moved to a new county. However, 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.
  
• Individuals are 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.
  
• Voter registration applications turned into county boards of elections are missing required voter information or include inaccurate information, such as a wrong date of birth or a voter identification number different from what’s on file in the state election system. It is a Class I felony to falsify a voter registration form.

“The State Board will investigate all credible allegations of voter registration fraud by individuals or organizations,” said State Board Executive Director Sam Hayes. “When workers involved in voter drives falsify or alter information on registration forms, it can cause problems for innocent voters at the polls. This is unacceptable and hurts voter confidence.”

When conducting voter registration drives, organizers must follow guidelines set by statute and the State Board.