State Board of Elections renews request for NCDMV data to help verify voter rolls

RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) — The North Carolina State Board of Elections is again asking the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles to provide data needed to help verify the accuracy of the state’s voter rolls.

State Board Executive Director Sam Hayes sent a follow-up letter to NCDMV Commissioner Paul Tine, requesting full Social Security numbers for registered voters who are also NCDMV customers. According to the letter, this information would allow election officials to more precisely match voter records against other government databases, identify duplicate registrations, and verify voter eligibility.

The State Board said the data is increasingly important as preparations continue for the 2026 midterm elections.

At its November 25 meeting, the State Board voted to begin entering into a Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to use the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database. Once finalized, the agreement will allow the State Board to verify citizenship status in limited circumstances under state and federal law.

The letter notes that federal law supports the request, citing Section 303 of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, which requires information sharing between election officials and state motor vehicle agencies to confirm voter registration data.

The State Board also referenced concerns raised earlier this year by the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina regarding instances where NCDMV examiners inadvertently processed voter registrations for non-citizens.

According to the letter, the State Board is prepared to work with NCDMV to ensure any data transfer is secure and compliant with legal requirements.