The North Carolina State Board of Elections presented to lawmakers Wednesday evidence of some voters potentially casting ballots in North Carolina and another state. But the board emphasized that doesn't mean voting fraud occurred.
The sweeping election overhaul the General Assembly passed last year told the state board of elections to check its voting records against other states. So the board compared its records for the last presidential election with those of 27 other states, and here's what it found:
765 people with the same first and last name, date of birth, and last four digits of their social security number voted in North Carolina and another state.
"Whether or not this data is actually indicative of fraud, that is subject of an ongoing investigation," said Joshua Lawson, State Board of Elections spokesman.
"There are really kind of two options: one, it's voter fraud and an individual is voting in two states, which they're not permitted to do," he said. "Or there's a clerical error being made at the polling station in one or both of the states."
Lawson said that's true of another finding: that about 36,000 people with the same first and last name and date of birth voted in North Carolina and another state in the last presidential election. That finding does not include information about social security numbers.
The board also found that about 156,000 people with the same name, date of birth and last four digits of their social security number are registered in two states, but North Carolina isn't the latest place they voted or updated their information. That could mean people just moved but the voter rolls haven't caught up.
Also, the board found that 81 dead people have voting records after the date of their death. There could be a reasonable explanation – they may have died after mailing in an absentee ballot.
Lawson said the board is reaching out to local election officials in North Carolina and other states where records matched up to finish its review.
