The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday announced the filing of a lawsuit against the State of North Carolina and the North Carolina State Board of Elections, alleging failure to maintain accurate voter registration lists in violation of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
The lawsuit claims that North Carolina implemented a state voter registration form that did not mandate applicants to provide key identifying information, such as a driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number.
According to the Justice Department, this practice is contrary to HAVA’s requirements and Congressional intent. As a result, the DOJ contends, numerous voters were added to the state’s official voter registration roll without the necessary identifying data, and many remain on the rolls lacking this information.
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This legal action follows President Donald J. Trump’s March 25 Executive Order 14248, titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections.”
The order directs federal agencies to ensure elections comply with federal laws aimed at preventing illegal voting, unlawful discrimination, and other forms of fraud or error. The Justice Department stated that the election integrity issues highlighted in the North Carolina lawsuit are a “core component” of the federal election laws the Attorney General is tasked with enforcing through the Civil Rights Division.
“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 K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will not hesitate to file suit against jurisdictions that maintain inaccurate voter registration rolls in violation of federal voting laws.”
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The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section is responsible for enforcing the civil provisions of federal statutes designed to protect the integrity of the electoral process, including the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, HAVA, and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
The lawsuit seeks to compel North Carolina to comply with HAVA’s requirements concerning voter identification on registration forms and to ensure the overall accuracy of its voter rolls. The specific court where the lawsuit was filed was not immediately detailed in the announcement.
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