Voter registration forms sent to dead residents cause confusion; 34K dead NC residents left on voter rolls
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Voter registration forms are showing up in mailboxes across Brunswick County and North Carolina addressed to people who have died, creating confusion for families and additional work for local election officials.
Brunswick County Board of Elections Director Sara LaVere said the forms are not sent by county election offices but by a third-party organization called Ready to Register. LaVere said she recently received one addressed to her stepson, who died in 2020.
“It can definitely be concerning when you get something like that,” LaVere said.
The envelopes are labeled “official document” and “time sensitive,” which LaVere said can be alarming for people unfamiliar with how third-party voter registration mailings work.
“Because of what I do for a job, I knew that groups mail voter registration forms, so I knew that had to be what this was,” LaVere said. “But to someone that’s not in the election space, this would definitely come across as alarming.”
LaVere emphasized that if someone completes one of the forms, it is still processed through the county Board of Elections, even though the mailing did not originate from the board.
The mailings come as the North Carolina State Board of Elections reports that approximately 34,000 deceased individuals remain on the state’s voter registration rolls. According to LaVere, about 1,800 of those records are in Brunswick County.
She said county election officials receive weekly reports from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services identifying residents who have died in the state. However, deaths that occur outside North Carolina can be more difficult to track.
“We may have someone who goes to get medical treatment in South Carolina, and if they pass away, we would not get that through official means,” LaVere said. “That information we would have to rely on a family member.”
The State Board of Elections has not yet released the names of the 34,000 deceased registrants. In a statement to WWAY, a State Board spokesperson said the information is being withheld temporarily while officials gather additional government records and investigate whether any fraudulent votes may have been cast in the names of deceased voters. The board also said it is reviewing a recent federal court order to determine whether it affects the release of personal information related to voters’ citizenship or death.
Without that information, LaVere said county election boards have limited ability to update voter rolls.
“Currently there isn’t a way for us to act in response to that information,” LaVere said. “We know the state and legislature are working to establish legislation that will allow us to take action on these records.”
LaVere encourages anyone who receives a voter registration form addressed to a deceased relative to contact the Brunswick County Board of Elections to verify whether that person’s voter registration has been removed.
