The North Carolina Board of Elections has identified more than 3,000 people in Bladen, Columbus, Robeson and Scotland counties who must update their voter information.
The statewide Registration Repair Project that launched in July is trying to reach more than 103,000 voters across the state with missing information on file—a driver’s license number or identification number issued by the Division of Motor Vehicles, or the last four digits of a Social Security number.
The project’s goal is to “verify that registrants are who they claim to be,” according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Why it matters
Data provided by the state board shows the Border Belt represents a higher share of voters on the repair list than other regions of the state.
Robeson County had the third-highest percentage of voters—3.23 percent—on the list as of Aug. 2, according to an analysis by Chris Cooper, a professor at Western Carolina University. As of Wednesday, Robeson County’s tally had dropped by only five voters.
Bladen County ranked 10th in the state by the percentage of voters on the list, according to Cooper’s analysis. Scotland County ranked 11th, and Columbus County was 50th.
The elections board is contacting individuals through the U.S. Postal Service. You can check if your name is on the list at https://dl.ncsbe.gov/RegistrationRepair/index.html.
Those who don’t provide the required information will have to cast provisional ballots that will only be counted when the elections officials verify their identity.
The Columbus County Community Foundation recently awarded the Border Belt Independent a $5,000 grant to fund Data Point, a concise feature that focuses on numbers and statistics highlighting an issue or trend in the Border Belt region. This is the first submission.
The Columbus County Community Foundation is a nonprofit that connects people with causes and organizations they care about. It is part of the North Carolina Community Foundation network.