North Carolina has recently removed over 700,000 individuals from its registered voter list due to ineligibility, according to officials. The State Board of Elections disclosed that 747,000 people were taken off the voter rolls in the past 20 months. The Board emphasized that the removal process is carefully executed to ensure that only ineligible records are eliminated, safeguarding the rights of eligible voters.
Moreover, the state is continuously adding newly eligible voters to its registration rolls, reflecting the growth in North Carolina's population. Presently, the state boasts nearly 7.7 million registered voters.
Various reasons contributed to individuals being removed from the voter rolls, including relocation without updating their address with election officials, failure to vote in the last two federal elections, and non-response to government notifications seeking registration confirmation. Additionally, factors such as death, felony convictions, voluntary removal requests, and lack of U.S. citizenship were cited as grounds for dropping individuals from the voter rolls.
A recent Marist Poll revealed that likely voters in North Carolina are evenly split between Harris and Trump, each garnering 49% support. Among decided voters, 91% expressed strong support for their chosen candidate.
North Carolina, historically a swing state, last supported a Democratic president in 2008 when Barack Obama won by a narrow margin. In 2016, Trump secured a significant victory with a 3.7 point lead, which decreased to 1.3 points against President Biden in 2020.
Notably, North Carolina has commenced absentee voting for registered voters, with ballots already dispatched to military and overseas voters. Unlike some states, North Carolina does not require voters to provide an excuse to receive an absentee ballot. The deadline for ballot applications is Oct. 29, and completed ballots must reach county officials by Nov. 5.