The Republican National Committee (RNC) and the North Carolina Republican Party (NCGOP) are taking legal action against the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE), accusing the board of enabling non-citizens to cast ballots in upcoming elections.
Filed in Wake County, the lawsuit names board members Alan Hirsch, Jeff Carmon, Siobhan Millen, Stacy Eggers IV, and Kevin Lewis as defendants, alleging they neglected to enforce citizenship verification, thus violating the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), as reported by Fox News.
At the heart of the lawsuit is the NCSBE’s failure to require identification from approximately 225,000 registered voters, raising concerns that non-citizens could easily slip through the cracks.
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North Carolina, a pivotal battleground state, begins mailing out ballots to eligible voters on September 6th, heightening the urgency of the lawsuit.
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley expressed deep concern over the NCSBE’s conduct, stating, “The NCSBE has once again failed in its mandate to keep non-citizens off the voter rolls, fueling distrust and jeopardizing our elections.”
He emphasized the RNC’s commitment to ensuring that only American citizens decide the outcome of American elections, denouncing the board’s actions as “inexcusable” and vowing to fight for the integrity of North Carolina’s voter rolls.
NCGOP Chairman Jason Simmons echoed these sentiments, criticizing the state board for its history of mishandling voter rolls.
“This lawsuit will remedy their ongoing refusal to collect the required information from those who want to take part in North Carolina elections,” Simmons stated, calling for greater accountability and adherence to the rule of law.
The complaint highlights the NCSBE’s past use of a non-compliant voter registration form, which allowed many individuals to register without providing essential HAVA-required identification, such as a driver’s license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number.
Although the board eventually corrected the form, the damage was done, with 225,000 registrations remaining unchecked.
The lawsuit criticizes the NCSBE’s half-hearted attempts to rectify the situation, arguing that their so-called solutions fail to protect the security of the state’s elections.
NCSBE’s spokesperson, in response, dismissed the lawsuit as unrealistic, arguing that the requested actions would violate federal law.
The spokesperson pointed out that federal law prohibits removal programs within 90 days of a federal election, making the timing of the lawsuit problematic.
The board also defended its voter registration processes, claiming that voters who lack certain identification numbers are still legally allowed to register and that additional ID verification would occur at polling stations.
This lawsuit follows closely on the heels of another legal challenge by the RNC and NCGOP, which accused the NCSBE of failing to remove non-citizens from voter rolls, despite a recent state law mandating cross-checks with jury questionnaires.
The ongoing disputes underscore the intense scrutiny of election integrity in North Carolina, with Republicans pushing hard to ensure that only eligible voters participate in the democratic process.
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