Tag Archive for: #stateboardofelections

NC State Board of Elections

State Board Of Elections Registration Repair Project Underway To Update Voter Info

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The first wave of mailings is now going out to North Carolina voters who need to provide their driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number as part of the State Board of Elections “Registration Repair Project.”

The SSBE is sending letters to about 82,700 individuals whose voter registration records lack one of these numbers, as required by state and federal laws.

According to the SBE database, which is updated daily, Vance County has 451 voters who need to provide the additional information to keep their voter registration current. Granville County has 384, Warren County has 133 and Franklin County has 649.

Individuals who receive the letter requesting the additional information can provide their driver license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number either by completing and returning the form at the bottom of the letter and returning it in the mail, in person at their local Board of Elections office or online through the NCDMV secure website at to payments.ncdot.gov.

There is no cost to make the registration update using the NCDMV website.

Updating the voter registration may not be done by phone.

“It’s quick. It’s easy. It’s free,” said Sam Hayes, State Board executive director. “We strongly encourage all voters on the Registration Repair list to take action now and avoid any issues the next time they show up to vote.”

North Carolinians can search whether they are on the list via the Registration Repair Search Tool, which is updated daily.

The Registration Repair Project launched on July 17, and already, the registrations of more than 20,000 voters have been fixed through a combination of research by the county boards of elections and the response of individual voters to update their registration records. As of Monday, Aug. 18, 82,540 registrants remained on the repair list, down 20 percent from 103,270 on the original list.

In future elections, in-person voters who still have not provided the required information to update their registration must vote provisional ballots and provide the information when they vote. That process is easy — the application for voting a provisional ballot includes prompts for DL# or SSN4.

The State Board is creating a flag to appear on these voters’ records in the electronic or paper poll books used at voting sites to alert poll workers that these voters must vote provisional ballots and provide the missing information for their ballot to count. Once a voter provides their DL# or SSN4 and that number is validated, the provisional ballot will count. County boards of elections will train poll workers accordingly.

For more information, go to ncsbe.gov/registrationrepair.

NC State Board of Elections

Guidelines for Assistance to Voters

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-Press Release, NC State Board of Elections

Recently, questions have arisen about the law pertaining to assistance to voters at voting sites. The State Board of Elections will investigate credible allegations of improper assistance.

The following are guidelines regarding assistance to voters:

State and federal law provide disabled and illiterate voters the right to request assistance from a person of the voter’s choice, except for the voter’s employer or agent of that employer or an officer or agent of the voter’s union.

There are no legal restrictions on the number of times a person can assist different voters if the voters qualify for assistance and proper procedures are followed.

Who may receive assistance

Any voter, regardless of whether they have a disability, may receive assistance from a near relative. Elections officials should avoid prying questions about the voter’s preference for assistance.

A voter whose disability prevents him or her from entering the voting booth or marking a ballot without assistance, or a voter who is illiterate, may get help from any person, except for the voter’s employer or agent of that employer or an officer or agent of the voter’s union. Not all disabilities are immediately apparent, but a voter who requires assistance entering the voting booth or marking a ballot due to a mental disability is just as entitled to assistance as a voter whose disability may be easily seen. N.C.G.S. § 163-166.8.

Requesting assistance

A voter who needs assistance must request it from the chief judge upon entering the voting place and identify the person the voter desires to provide such assistance. Certain disabilities may affect voters’ ability to vocalize their request, but federal law still provides that such a disabled voter is entitled to assistance. Elections officials will exercise their best efforts to understand and respond to individual requests for assistance however communicated. State administrative law provides that an election official may prompt the voter if needed if it appears the voter may be requesting assistance.

In many cases, a voter in need of assistance will be accompanied into the voting place by an assistant. Alternatively, the voter may—but is not required to—request the assistance of an election official. If the assistant helps mark the ballot, the assistant is required to mark the ballot as directed by the voter.

Assistants are prohibited from persuading or inducing any voter to cast a vote in any particular way or to vote for any particular candidate. They are also prohibited from communicating to others about how the voter voted.

Script for requesting assistance

The State Board of Elections provides a script for elections officials to use when a voter is accompanied by someone who appears to be an assistant. Elections officials are prohibited from asking the voter to identify or explain the nature of the voter’s disability. The script should be modified if the voter’s disability limits their ability to communicate. See Numbered Memo 2020-16 for the script.

Intimidation of voters

Voters have a right to freely enter the voting enclosure without fear of intimidation or harassment. It is a federal crime to intimidate, threaten, or coerce a voter with the purpose of interfering with the right of the voter to vote. Photographing or videotaping voters for the purpose of intimidation is prohibited. Observers will be ejected from the polling place if they interfere with or communicate with voters. See Numbered Memo 2020-30 for additional information.

Authority of county board of elections

It is the duty of the chief judge or one-stop site manager to ensure peace and good order at the voting place, which includes the duty to remove observers who intimidate or harass voters, and persons who unlawfully attempt to assist voters. If the chief judge or one-stop site manager needs additional support, they are to contact their county board of elections.