Governor Cooper comments on voting commission request

Press release from the Office of Governor Roy Cooper:

RALEIGH: Governor Roy Cooper released the following comment after a new federal government commission requested that states turn over names, birth dates and social security information for voters:

“Integrity of our elections is critical, and a recent State Board of Elections investigation already found there was no evidence of significant voter fraud in North Carolina. My staff has told the State Board of Elections that we should not participate in providing sensitive information beyond what is public record as it is unnecessary, and because I have concerns that it is an effort to justify the President’s false claims about voter fraud.”​

BACKGROUND

Board of Elections Audit: “a tiny fraction” of North Carolina’s 4.8 million voters were ineligible: 508 voters, which equals .01%. “An investigation by the N.C. Board of Elections has found that 508 voters who cast ballots last November weren’t eligible to vote – and the vast majority of them were felons serving active sentences. The State Board of Elections released the audit report Friday in response to public records requests and a request from members of Congress. The report says that 441 voters appear to have been serving active felony sentences on Election Day – many of them on probation. Convicted felons can vote in North Carolina only after completing their sentences, including any probation and parole. In addition, the investigation found 41 non-citizens who cast ballots, 24 voters who voted twice and two people who falsely voted using the name of a family member who’d recently died. ‘It is important to recognize that suspected cases of ineligible voters casting ballots and/or committing fraud represent a tiny fraction’ of the 4.8 million voters who participated, the report says.” (News & Observer, April 21, 2017)

One vote out of 4.8 million would’ve been avoided with a voter ID law. “On Friday, the State Board of Elections released the results of an extensive, objective audit of the 2016 election. It found that 4,769,640 votes were cast in November and that one (1) would probably have been avoided with a voter ID law. One out of nearly 4.8 million.” (Charlotte Observer Editorial, April 24, 2017)
87% of the 508 ineligible 2016 voters were felons, and it was believed many did not realize they couldn’t vote.“The Board’s investigation is helpful toward that end. It found 508 ineligible votes cast. About 87 percent of those (441) were felons who voted. State law prohibits felons from voting until their sentence is fully served, including probation and parole. It is believed that many of the felons who voted did not realize they could not vote while on probation.” (Charlotte Observer Editorial, April 24, 2017)