North Carolina election officials have reached a settlement with national Republican and Democratic leaders. The agreement allows more than 73,000 voters with incomplete registration records to remain on the state’s voter rolls while officials continue collecting missing identification information.
The agreement was signed Monday by the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee. It still requires approval from a federal judge. The deal ends a lawsuit filed in 2024 by the RNC and North Carolina GOP. The lawsuit challenged the state’s voter registration procedures.
What was the lawsuit about?
North Carolina discovered that about 100,000+ registered voters were missing required information on their registration forms. Specifically, many did not include:
- A driver’s license number
- The last four digits of their Social Security number
- Or an attestation that they had neither
State and federal law require that information for voter registration.
The Republican National Committee and North Carolina GOP argued that these registrations were unlawful. They sued in 2024 and initially wanted:
- Hundreds of thousands removed from voter rolls
- Tens of thousands of ballots from 2024 thrown out
Why did the RNC agree to drop the lawsuit?
While the case was pending, the North Carolina State Board of Elections launched what it called a “Registration Repair Project.” The effort was designed to correct incomplete records.
State officials said about 103,000 voters were missing required identification numbers as of last summer. Between mid-July and mid-August 2025, the board updated more than 20,000 records internally. It also mailed letters to roughly 82,000 voters asking them to provide the missing information. By December, the number of incomplete registrations had dropped to just over 73,000.
Under the settlement, those voters will remain on the rolls for upcoming elections. However, they must provide the required identification before or on Election Day. If they fail to do so, they will be required to cast provisional ballots. Provisional ballots are counted only after election officials verify the voter’s eligibility. North Carolina law separately requires voters to present photo identification when voting.
“The parties’ agreement to enter into a consent judgement is a major win for election integrity and a clear rebuke of Democrats who tried to weaken basic safeguards,” RNC Chair Joe Gruters said in a statement. He added that the RNC “will always fight to ensure our election laws are clear, fair, and consistently enforced.”
The DNC described the settlement as a victory for voters. “This latest victory is a win for Americans and yet another blow to the Republicans’ scheme to disenfranchise voters ahead of the midterm elections,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement.
The agreement comes as Congress debates stricter federal voter identification and citizenship verification requirements.
The House recently passed the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act. The bill would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. It would also direct states to remove noncitizens from voter rolls. The measure faces opposition in the Senate.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, said Democrats intend to block the legislation. “We will not let it pass in the Senate,” Schumer told CNN.
The North Carolina settlement resolves a state-level dispute over incomplete registrations. The broader national debate over voter identification and election safeguards is expected to continue in Washington.