N.C. Board of Elections Investigates Voter Registration Misconduct in Buncombe

The North Carolina State Board of Elections has opened an investigation after complaints in recent months that voter registration drive workers in seven counties, including Buncombe, may have impersonated election officials and submitted forms with falsified or inaccurate information. State Board Executive Director Sam Hayes said, “The State Board will investigate all credible allegations of voter registration fraud by individuals or organizations.”

The board’s Feb. 13 press release names Brunswick, Buncombe, Chowan, Haywood, Nash, Scotland, and Wake counties as the locations of the recent complaints. Local outlets Citizen-Times and BlueRidgeNow reported the launch of the probe in Buncombe on Feb. 13, and statewide outlets cited the State Board’s notice when reporting the list of affected counties.

Allegations compiled by the State Board and reported by WRAL, WECT and ABC11 include impersonating state or county elections officials, submitting applications with missing required information, entering incorrect birthdates, and recording voter identification numbers that do not match state records. The board also says some voter-drive workers have been alleged to falsify or alter information on registration forms and to mislead voters by telling already-registered people they must re-register to vote. WRAL reported officials saying it is a felony to falsify a voter registration form.

NCSBE officials warned that government election workers do not go door-to-door for any reason, while complaints include reports of individuals going door-to-door and falsely identifying themselves as county or state election workers. Hayes added, “When workers involved in voter drives falsify or alter information on registration forms, it can cause problems for innocent voters at the polls. This is unacceptable and hurts voter confidence.”

Jason Tyson, the State Board’s external affairs director, told WECT that the board has received “thousands of complaints since 2024, spanning 30 different counties,” and that in the last year the board logged about “300 complaints statewide, with ‘dozens’ coming from Brunswick County.” Tyson also noted the board has seen non-serious or bogus names on forms, including “names of rappers, Mickey Mouse, nicknames, and aliases,” according to reporting in the Carolina Journal.

Brunswick County Board of Elections Director Sara LaVere told WECT that from 2024 through January 2026 her office received reports of applications missing required voter information or containing inaccurate information; LaVere declined an on-camera interview and said those complaints were directed to the State Board for review. The supplied reporting does not identify any individuals or organizations under investigation in Buncombe or the other counties, and no criminal charges have been reported.

The Feb. 13 State Board release directs anyone with information to call the State Board office at (919) 814-0700 and ask for the Investigations Division, to email investigations.sboe@ncsbe.gov with details, or to fill out an Election Law Complaint Form and return it to the State Board of Elections. The release also points registrars and drive organizers to the board’s guidance titled “Hosting Voter Registration Drives.”