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Yes, you do have to be a U.S. citizen to vote in North Carolina

You do not need your ID to vote here in North Carolina, but according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, you do have to be a U.S. Citizen.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The election is still a few months away but misinformation about who and who can't vote is already starting to spread.

 We got this email from Christine F.

She says, "I'm trying to find out if what I read on Next Door is true or false. They are saying that NC changed the voting laws, and now when an Illegal citizen gets a driver's license, NC is allowing them to vote in all elections. They do not have to be citizens. "

Christine said she didn't think this was true, but couldn't find any information on it, so she wanted WCNC to look into it.

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THE QUESTION:

Do you have to be a U.S. citizen to vote in North Carolina?

OUR SOURCES: 

THE ANSWER:

Yes, you do have to be a U.S. citizen to vote in North Carolina.

WHAT WE FOUND: 

You do not need your ID to vote here in North Carolina, but according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, you do have to be a U.S. Citizen.

"The first two questions on any voter registration application that we have, are, will you be 18 by the next general election," Dickerson said. "And the second question is, are you a citizen of the United States? If you answer no to either one of those questions, you are not entitled to register to vote in this upcoming elections."

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Dickerson said if someone who is not a citizen lies about that and tries to vote, they would be committing perjury, and that is a felony.

"So if you are a non-US citizen, and that is found out, there's a pretty good chance that you would be deported at that point in time," Dickerson said. 

Dickerson tells WCNC they have seen this happen before, but it's normally an accident. 

 "We have had cases where it's found out after the fact, and usually it's an attorney for the person who accidentally signed the form trying to get everything canceled, redacted, that sort of stuff," Dickerson said.

Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

 VERIFY is dedicated to helping the public distinguish between true and false information. The VERIFY team, with help from questions submitted by the audience, tracks the spread of stories or claims that need clarification or correction. Have something you want VERIFIED? Text us at 704-329-3600 or visit /verify. 
 

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