The following public comment was made in a public hearing on March 9 on proposed new rules at the North Carolina State Board of Elections, “related to voter roll list maintenance on the basis of non-citizenship.”
I am Andy Jackson with the John Locke Foundation. I am speaking largely in support of the proposed rules for voter roll list maintenance on the basis of non-citizenship.
Nobody knows how many noncitizens are currently on the voter rolls in North Carolina, but, as once again seen in the recent conviction of Canadian citizen Denis Bouchard for illegally voting in our state, who was not flagged in any board of elections audit, it is not zero. As government data on registered voters’ citizenship status becomes more widely available, we need a process in place to thoroughly vet voter rolls using that data while protecting citizens’ voting rights.
The rules provide a means to appropriately inform purported noncitizens of a challenge to their voter registration. It also allows challenged voters to present both documentary and non-documentary evidence of citizenship.
These rules will help remove noncitizens from the voter rolls, many of whom are on the rolls through administrative error rather than any wrongdoing of their own, while providing procedural protections for citizens.
That said, one part of the rules should be modified.
For rule number 0103, Section a, there should be at least 10 business days from the day the notice is mailed to the preliminary hearing to give the challenged voter sufficient time to receive the notice and prepare documentation. This can be achieved by requiring the written public notice to be emailed at least 10 business days before the preliminary hearing, rather than the 5 business days currently proposed.
Thank you.
Here is a link to more information about the proposed rules. Here is how you can provide feedback to the State Board of Elections:
The deadline to provide the public comment is March 16.
