Trump administration sues North Carolina for failing to maintain its voter rolls

A swing state is facing a lawsuit as the president’s Department of Justice aimed to ensure voter rolls are “without fraud.”

Pushback from the left hasn’t impeded President Donald Trump from pursuing efforts to fulfill a campaign promise to restore confidence in American elections. Now, in addition to referencing a signed executive order on election integrity, the DOJ turned to a law on the books for more than two decades in suing North Carolina for failing to maintain its voter rolls.

“Accurate voter registration rolls are critical to ensure that elections in North Carolina are conducted fairly, accurately, and without fraud,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon in a statement after the suit was filed Tuesday. “The Department of Justice will not hesitate to file suit against jurisdictions that maintain inaccurate voter registration rolls in violation of federal voting laws.”

Justice Department Files Help America Vote Act Lawsuit Against North Carolina for Inaccurate Voter List

: https://t.co/l6za2zYwSf pic.twitter.com/CXS4giEv8K

— DOJ Civil Rights Division (@CivilRights) May 27, 2025

Naming the state, the State Board of Elections, and officials from the board, including Executive Director Sam Hayes, the suit alleged that North Carolina had violated the Help America Vote Act of 2002, as the state’s voter registration form did not require identifying information like social security numbers or driver’s licenses.

Referencing HAVA, the suit noted that “a voter registration application for an election for federal office may not be accepted or processed by the State unless it includes a driver’s license number from the applicant, or … the last four digits of the applicant’s social security number. If an applicant has not been issued a current and valid driver’s license or social security number, the State must assign a special identifying number for voter registration.”

It also referenced the president’s March 25 executive order, “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” which sought to require proof of U.S. citizenship to be provided at the time of voter registration.

The suit came some three weeks after North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin (R) conceded his race against North Carolina State Supreme Court incumbent Justice Allison Riggs (D) after a months-long legal battle over contested ballots.

Griffin, who lost the election by less than 1,000 votes, had alleged that over 65,000 people had voted illegally in the November 2024 election, only to have a federal judge overturn a ruling from a state appeals court to remove ballots deemed ineligible, arguing it would be a violation of the U.S. Constitution.

“While I do not fully agree with the District Court’s analysis, I respect the court’s holding — just as I have respected every judicial tribunal that has heard this case,” Griffin said of the ruling. “I will not appeal the court’s decision.”

BREAKING: Jefferson Griffin has conceded to Allison Riggs in the State Supreme Court race. Griffin says he will not appeal @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/D16BS9y23g

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) May 7, 2025

In addition to seeking compliance with HAVA, the DOJ sought to have the defendants ordered to “develop a plan, within 30 days of this Court’s order,” should they be found victorious, requiring in part that all registered voters whose files don’t meet the standards be contacted for the necessary information and a “sworn certification” be submitted when all corrected records had been turned over.

Staff Writer

Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn’t researching current events and their impacts, you’ll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.

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