RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina election officials have announced a significant discovery regarding the accuracy of the state's voter registration system, identifying approximately 34,000 deceased individuals still listed as active, eligible voters. The finding comes after the North Carolina State Board of Elections completed a comprehensive comparison of its voter records against a federal government database.
"Voter roll maintenance is a core component of election integrity, and it starts with effective management. The State Board of Elections is leading on voter roll cleanup, getting work done quickly and efficiently. This marks another positive step toward ensuring our state has secure elections, where only eligible voters are casting ballots." — Dave Boliek, State Auditor
On April 17, 2026, the state board submitted 7,397,734 voter records to the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system. This initiative was part of a broader effort to enhance the integrity and accuracy of North Carolina's voter registration list. The SAVE system, managed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in collaboration with the Social Security Administration (SSA), is primarily designed to verify immigration status but is also utilized for identifying various voter registration irregularities.
Initially, the database comparison was launched with the primary goal of identifying non-U.S. citizens registered to vote. However, officials also anticipated that the process would uncover other discrepancies, such as duplicate registrations, name mismatches, and deceased registrants. The scale of the discovery regarding deceased individuals, however, exceeded their expectations.
Sam Hayes, Executive Director of the State Board of Elections, addressed the findings directly. "While we expected to find some cases, this is higher than we anticipated," Hayes stated. He emphasized the utility of such cross-database checks: "The benefit of entering into cross-state and federal database checks is that it allows us to uncover issues like this. Our goal is to use every available and legal tool at our disposal to achieve the most accurate voter rolls possible."
Hayes clarified that the identification of these individuals marks the beginning, not the end, of the process. "Now, we must roll up our sleeves and begin the hard work … of verifying that every person registered to vote in North Carolina is eligible. Our team, along with our state and federal (partners) will do what’s necessary to meet this responsibility," he added.
Officials were careful to clarify that the presence of deceased individuals on the voter rolls does not automatically constitute proof of voter fraud. The North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) noted that this discovery does not inherently mean illegal votes were cast in the names of these individuals.
North Carolina already has mechanisms in place to identify and remove deceased voters, primarily through weekly death reports received from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services for deaths occurring within the state. County boards of elections are responsible for handling these removals. However, this existing system has a notable blind spot: it often misses individuals who were once North Carolina residents, moved to another state, and subsequently died there. Such deaths are frequently not reported back to North Carolina election officials through standard reporting channels.
The SAVE database comparison effectively bridges this gap. The system conducts its cross-checks by matching voters’ names, dates of birth, and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers against records maintained by the Social Security Administration. This comprehensive approach allows for the identification of out-of-state deaths that would otherwise go undetected.
Before any names are removed from the voter rolls, the board has outlined a structured process to ensure due diligence. This process includes conducting additional cross-checks with both state and federal databases and extending due process to affected registrants. Following these verification steps, county boards of elections will carry out the necessary cancellations in strict adherence to applicable state and federal laws.
State Auditor Dave Boliek commended the findings, framing them within the broader context of enhancing North Carolina’s election security. "Voter roll maintenance is a core component of election integrity, and it starts with effective management," Boliek remarked. "The State Board of Elections is leading on voter roll cleanup, getting work done quickly and efficiently. This marks another positive step toward ensuring our state has secure elections, where only eligible voters are casting ballots."
Andy Jackson, director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation, underscored the importance of the SAVE program. He pointed out that North Carolina had previously removed 500,000 ineligible voters through the SAVE program in 2025. Jackson also noted that under conventional methods, deceased voters can remain on the rolls for eight to ten years before their registrations are purged. He described the SAVE database as "crucial" for improving the state's list maintenance, highlighting its role in producing meaningful results for voter roll accuracy. The ongoing efforts underscore a continuous commitment to ensuring the integrity and reliability of the state's electoral process.
