To preserve election integrity in America, the Trump administration has taken decisive legal action against North Carolina, charging the state with failing to manage its voter rolls adequately.
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Department of Justice (DOJ) accused the state of failing to maintain accurate voter rolls by not collecting required identifying information from up to 250,000 registered voters.
This legal action could significantly impact voter eligibility just months before local elections begin in September.
The lawsuit targets North Carolina and its State Board of Elections for allegedly violating the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA).
The state’s voter registration form is at issue, and federal officials say it fails to properly collect required identifying information such as driver’s license numbers or the last four digits of Social Security numbers.
“Accurate voter registration rolls are critical to ensure that elections in North Carolina are conducted fairly, accurately and without fraud,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon in announcing the suit.
The DOJ is demanding that the state contact all affected voters within 30 days to collect the missing information or remove them from voter rolls.
This requirement could affect approximately 250,000 North Carolina voters, potentially reshaping the state’s electorate before upcoming elections.
The lawsuit follows a highly controversial state Supreme Court race where Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin (R) ultimately conceded to Judge Allison Riggs (D) after litigation over similar voter registration issues.
That race was decided by just 734 votes out of more than 5.5 million cast, highlighting how crucial proper voter verification can be in close elections.
While North Carolina’s current election officials acknowledge the issues with HAVA compliance, they claim many of the errors stem from simple data entry mistakes.
The state’s elections board recently shifted from Democrat to Republican control, and new Executive Director Sam Hayes pledged to address the problems.
“The failure to collect the information required by HAVA has been well documented. Rest assured that I am committed to bringing North Carolina into compliance with federal law,” Hayes stated after the lawsuit was filed.
The DOJ’s lawsuit arrives amid ongoing political battles over control of North Carolina’s election machinery.
The GOP-led legislature has been attempting to shift oversight powers from the Democrat governor to a Republican state auditor, underscoring the high stakes of election administration in this crucial swing state.
Critics of North Carolina’s elections board pointed to a troubling pattern. A previous Democrat-majority board acknowledged HAVA compliance issues back in 2023 but failed to contact affected voters before the 2024 elections.
Instead, the DOJ claimed the board planned to collect missing information on an ad hoc basis at polling places – a haphazard approach that falls far short of federal requirements.
The Trump administration’s forceful legal action demonstrates its commitment to ensuring election integrity across the nation.
By holding states accountable for maintaining accurate voter rolls, the Justice Department is working to restore Americans’ confidence in the electoral system after years of questionable practices that have eroded public trust.
