Civitas Capitol Connection
APRIL 2014 VOL. 6, NO. 4
Inside CLC
— p. 6-7 —
Election At a Glance — p. 9-11 —
CROSS-CHECKED Elections Board Reveals Vote Problems
100 S. Harrington St. Raleigh, NC 27603 Vol. 6, No. 4
Civitas Institute
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BY susan myrick A stunning report by state elections officials has revealed evident voter fraud in the 2012 election – possibly in tens of thousands of instances. The North Carolina State Board of Elections (SBOE) reported this month to the Joint Legislative Elections Oversight Committee on the effects of the state’s new voter reforms. The most disturbing statistics came from comparing voter registration statistics in North Carolina with those of selected states. The results were brought to light as a result of North Carolina’s joining the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program, a consortium of 28 states. The SBOE had been directed by the new elections reform legislation (VIVA, Voter Information Verification Act) to join an interstate crosschecking program and to improve the accuracy of voter registration lists. The SBOE joined the program, and as a result it was determined that more
than 35,000 North Carolina voters who voted in the 2012 general election were identified as matching, by name and date of birth (DOB), a voter in another state who voted in the same election. This revelation deserves to be underlined: Tens of thousands of voters appeared to have voted twice (in North Carolina and another state) in the 2012 general election. Legislators on both sides of the aisle expressed alarm during the meeting. Rep. Bert Jones (R-Rockingham) said, “I believe these are staggering numbers.” Rep. Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) suggested that the number of voters voting in two states in the same election was probably much higher, because the cross-checking didn’t access voter rolls in every state. He told Kim Strach, SBOE director, that this was probably just the “tip of the iceberg.” Rep. Annie Mobley (D-Hertford) said, “These numbers are appalling to me.” The preliminary findings indicate that: • 765 voters with an exact match of first and last name, DOB and last four digits of Social Security number (SSN) were registered in N.C. and another state and voted in N.C. and the other state in the 2012 general election. • 35,750* voters with the same first and last name and DOB were registered in N.C. and another state and voted in both states in the 2012 general election. • 155,692 voters with the same first and last name, DOB and last four digits CONTINUED on page 4
What Vote Fraud
?
The recent report by the State Elections Board revealed that tens of thousands of voters may have voted in North Carolina and also in another state in 2012. Legislators called the figures “staggering” and “appalling,” and noted that the report raises the specter of widespread voter fraud.
Board Investigating Thousands of Cases
Investigators are following up on possible vote fraud and other problems recently uncovered by the North Carolina State Board of Elections (SBOE). The SBOE reported in April to the Joint Legislative Elections Oversight Committee on findings from the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program. (See story at left.) At the committee meeting, member Rep. Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) summed the situation up by telling board officials, “You have documented what appears to be voter fraud … We have over 35,000 people who it appears – are documented – who actually voted in this state illegally, and committed a felony.” The SBOE is a law enforcement agency, and its staff is now investigating the findings. A top priority is probing the cross-check discovery of 765 voters with an exact match of first and last name, date of birth (DOB) and last four digits of their Social Security numbers (SSN) who voted in N.C. and another state in the 2012 general election. “We are working to ensure that these are indeed exact matches,” said SBOE spokesman Josh Lawson. If exact matches are confirmed, the findings will be forwarded to county district attorneys. It is up to them to decide about possible prosecution. The board is also investigating a much larger number of troublesome cross-check cases: the 35,750 voters with the same first and last name and date of birth who were registered in N.C. and another state and voted in both states in the 2012 general election. “We are taking that number very seriously,” Lawson said. Lawson noted the board’s action is not only backward-looking, it is also forward-looking, in cleaning up outdated voter rolls. This includes the cross-check finding of 155,692 voters with the same first and last name, DOB and last four digits of SSN who were registered here and another state – and the latest date of registration or voter activity took place outside North Carolina. He noted that “we are working with multiple state agencies” to check that information. For instance, if someone on the voter rolls here has gotten a driver license in Florida, that raises the clear possibility that he or she is now a Florida resident, thus should be off the NC voter lists.
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