The revelation that 34,000 deceased individuals were still listed on North Carolina’s voter rolls has intensified calls for the state to address its registration lists, boosting pressure on Congress to pass the SAVE America Act.
Mark Harris, a Republican representative from North Carolina, urged quick action on the Securing American Voter Eligibility Act, or Save America Act, after state election officials reported the unexpected number of deceased individuals. “In North Carolina, we’ve confirmed there are 34,000 deaths on the voter rolls,” he noted in a post on X. “This isn’t an error—it’s a failure. Election integrity is essential. Fix it now. Pass the SAVE America Act!”
This find has led to concerns about how many other states might also harbor deceased voters on their rolls. Jason Snead, director of the Honest Elections Project Action, expressed worry, especially about states he believes are avoiding sensible measures to update their voter registration.
Earlier this month, the North Carolina State Board of Elections submitted over 7.3 million voter records to the federal SAVE database to improve the accuracy of its voter lists. Through comparisons with federal data, the Election Commission discovered about 34,000 deceased individuals listed.
“We expected to find some discrepancies, but honestly, this number is higher than we anticipated,” said Sam Hayes, the executive director of the State Board of Elections. He emphasized the importance of using various legal tools to ensure the accuracy of voter rolls, highlighting a commitment to verifying eligible voters in North Carolina.
The commission plans to collaborate with county election boards to remove the deceased from the voter registration lists, in line with state and federal laws.
While North Carolina seems to be proactively engaging with federal efforts to clean up its voter rolls, Snead pointed out that many Democratic-led states appear to be lagging behind in this regard. “Maintaining accurate voter lists takes work from state officials,” he cautioned.
He referred to North Carolina as an example of successful use of federal data systems to remove fraudulent registrations, which stands in stark contrast to what he sees in several Democratic-controlled states. “Those states are not putting in the necessary effort to tidy up their bloated voter rolls and to ensure ineligible individuals don’t register. That’s why it’s crucial for Congressional Democrats to stop blocking the SAVE America Act,” he argued. This proposed legislation seeks to ensure proof of U.S. citizenship is needed to register for federal elections, verifies voter information against citizenship data, and enforces penalties on officials who disregard these requirements.
Currently, the bill is at a standstill in the Senate. Last week, attempts to attach provisions for voter ID and citizenship verification to a Republican immigration enforcement funding bill were thwarted, with even Republicans like Sen. Thom Tillis and others voting against the measure.
President Trump has repeatedly advocated for the SAVE America Act, pledging last month to withhold support for other legislative matters until it is passed, insisting that he would not accept any diluted versions.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats articulated their opposition to the act, arguing that it could disenfranchise millions without easy access to necessary identification documents. They claimed it could lead to chaos in election administration and unjust criminal charges for officials.
Schumer criticized “MAGA Republicans,” alleging they are attempting to complicate the voting process out of fear of failing plans. “They know they’re losing ground, so they’re trying to change the rules,” he said.
