The Republican National Committee and the North Carolina GOP have filed a lawsuit against the State Board of Elections, alleging that state election officials are ignoring a 2023 law requiring noncitizens to be removed from voter rolls.
The lawsuit claims that state officials are failing to act on information from jury questionnaires where individuals have identified themselves as noncitizens.
The complaint, filed in Wake County Superior Court, seeks a declaratory judgment compelling the elections board to enforce the 2023 law, which mandates review of voter registration lists based on the noncitizen data from jury questionnaires.
Section 44 of Senate Bill 747, passed in 2023 over Governor Roy Cooper’s veto, outlines the review process. Republicans also want the court to enforce the North Carolina Public Records Act, claiming that state election officials have not provided documents related to their compliance with the law.
The lawsuit references a February 2024 report estimating that approximately 325,000 unauthorized immigrants reside in North Carolina. GOP attorneys argue that safeguards against noncitizen voting are especially important in this election cycle due to the significant number of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. and potentially relocating to North Carolina.
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, a former NCGOP chairman, stated that noncitizens must be removed from voter rolls, emphasizing the importance of upholding election integrity. The lawsuit follows a recent Supreme Court decision favoring the GOP’s efforts to block noncitizen voting in Arizona.
Meanwhile, three federal lawsuits challenge provisions of SB 747, including one filed by the Democratic National Committee. While the court has blocked certain provisions, the section regarding noncitizen voter removal remains intact.
