The Trump administration has ceased legal actions against North Carolina after persuading state authorities to clean up the voter rolls.
In May, federal prosecutors reached a settlement with the North Carolina Election Commission, having accused the state of not maintaining an accurate federal registration list. On Tuesday, lawyers representing the Trump administration expressed their satisfaction with the steps North Carolina has taken to remove erroneous names from its voter list.
“While the intervention seemed quite arrogant in suggesting the Department of Justice was vigilant, the Attorney General for the DOJ’s Civil Rights Office claimed credit for the department’s proactive approach to these complaints,” he noted. However, he added, “we’re pleased with North Carolina’s progress and will keep striving to ensure our registration lists comply with federal law,” Dillon remarked.
This follows a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration on May 27, accusing North Carolina’s Election Commission of violating the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) by not keeping an accurate voter list. The suit demanded that names of individuals lacking proper registration information be removed.
According to the DOJ’s allegations, North Carolina was using a voter registration form that didn’t require essential identification information, like driver’s licenses. As a result, around 100,000 voters lacked the necessary info at the time the lawsuit was filed, suggesting a significant number of potentially erroneous registrations.
This situation raised questions about the integrity of elections. For instance, GOP Senator Thom Tillis won re-election by a slim margin of less than 96,000 votes in 2020.
After the court settlement, Sam Hayes, executive director of North Carolina’s Election Commission, stated that the state is committed to improving its voter rolls.
“Before the DOJ filed this lawsuit, I prioritized ensuring compliance with voting laws and proper registration,” Hayes said. He acknowledged the efforts of county board members and state staff involved in this project.
“In less than three months, we’ve reduced the number of voters needing correction by 22%. Our strategy is effective and we expect to see further reductions,” he added.
This lawsuit was part of a broader initiative by the White House aimed at reinforcing election integrity nationwide. In March, President Trump signed a Presidential Order focusing on maintaining compliance with laws guarding against illegal voting and other types of fraud. The administration also introduced new features in U.S. citizenship verification to prevent non-citizens from voting.
Furthermore, the Trump administration took legal action against other areas accused of failing to maintain adequate voter lists. For example, in June, they sued Orange County, California, for not providing evidence that they were excluding non-citizens from voter registrations.
