Settlement with US DOJ Reached
A consent order resolves the United States Department of Justice’s Help America Vote Act case and formalizes the state’s Registration Repair Project. A local update notes a seventh Help America Vote Act complaint in Lexington.
Summary
A federal judge approved a consent order requiring North Carolina to ensure voter registrations include the legally required identification number (driver’s license or the last four digits of a Social Security number) under the Help America Vote Act. The order aligns with the State Board’s Registration Repair Project to collect missing identifiers. No voters are removed solely for a missing identifier; affected voters may vote provisionally while they update their records.
Why it matters
What to do
Key facts in the consent order
Training and Forms
The state must align forms, instructions, and poll‑worker training with federal law.
Faster Data Entry
County offices must enter received identification numbers into the statewide system on an expedited timeline.
Multi‑Channel Outreach
Mailings and online tools help voters fix records; missing identifiers do not automatically remove voters.
Local note
A Lexington update on Re:Public reports that a seventh Help America Vote Act complaint was filed locally. Official details were not posted at the time of publication. See the link in Sources.
How this relates to other states
Federal election laws apply nationwide. Recent actions show parallel enforcement beyond North Carolina, including list‑accuracy requirements under the Help America Vote Act and record‑keeping rules under the National Voter Registration Act.
“Obedience to the law ensures fair elections.”
Sources
Keywords:<\/strong> Democracy, Voting Rights, Voter Registration, Election Administration, Federal Enforcement, Consent Order, Help America Vote Act, National Voter Registration Act, Provisional Voting, United States Department of Justice, North Carolina State Board of Elections, Registration Repair Project, United States, North Carolina, Lexington, News, On the Couch, 5 min, Adults<\/p>
Full links provided for transparency: https://www.ncsbe.gov/news/press-releases/2025/09/08/judge-approves-settlement-usdoj-lawsuit-about-voter-registrations https://www.ncsbe.gov/registrationrepair https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/offices-services/online/Pages/voter-registration-application.aspx https://vt.ncsbe.gov/boeinfo https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/provisional-voting https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/court-enters-consent-order-requiring-north-carolina-fix-inaccurate-voter-list https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-help-america-vote-act-lawsuit-against-north-carolina-inaccurate https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-suit-against-orange-county-california-registrar-voters-refusing https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-statement-interest-oregon-elections-case-concerning-states https://apnews.com/article/ddcca3f48f8f4db19600c12d23ca191e https://republic.us/local-news/settlement-with-us-doj-reached-hava-complaint-7-subsequently-filed-obedience-to-the-law-ensures-fair-elections/24438
Updates
Last updated: September 15, 2025
