CHARLOTTE, N.C. — This week, the Macon County Board of Elections took former congressman and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows off the state's voter roll.
It got a lot of people wondering about how this list is maintained.
According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, more than 7.2 million people are registered to vote in the state.
THE QUESTION
Can the North Carolina State Board of Elections remove a voter from the voter roll?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
Yes, the North Carolina State Board of Elections can remove a voter from the voter roll.
WHAT WE FOUND
North Carolina law requires the NCSBE to review the list of eligible voters every two years. But thanks to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, names cannot be removed for just any reason.
According to NCSBE, these four reasons could get someone removed from the voter roll:
- The voter is incarcerated
- The voter has moved to another state
- The voter has passed away
- The voter has been inactive for at least two federal elections
"It follows all the federal requirements that each county is mandated to do so," Dickerson said. "So it works out. We're handling everybody the same way."
Dickerson said maintaining the voter roll is essential to running a fair election.
"If I can maintain clean, accurate data, then I'm going to have a good, accurate election for the folks to come and vote in it," Dickerson said. "That's usually our first piece of housekeeping. It all starts with voter registration in order to vote in North Carolina."
Dickerson also pointed out his county, Mecklenburg, sees many new people moving into the county from other places.
If a voter did not change his or her registration status in the previous state they lived in, it's not a big deal. As long as the voter isn't voting in both states, there shouldn't be any issues.
Typically, a voter is asked to register to vote when he or she gets their new driver's license or I.D.
Check your registration status anytime here.
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