The Modernization of Election Data Systems (MEDS) Advisory Commission is urging the General Assembly to appropriate funding for replacing the Statewide Elections Information Management System (SEIMS).

At its Wednesday meeting, the bipartisan, 22-member commission approved a resolution requesting $60 million from legislators during the current short session. It would go for Phase 3 of the full replacement.

Connecticut-based software company ReFrame Solutions was selected in February as the winning vendor for Phase 2, which is a $15 million funded project.

The new system should be up and running before the 2028 General Election.

It should streamline reporting, improve accuracy, and provide real-time public access to campaign finance data. Proposed features include:

  • Automated data imports from fundraising platforms
  • Bulk upload capabilities
  • Guided filing workflows similar to tax software
  • Integration with financial tools like QuickBooks

The system would also allow different levels of access for treasurers, regulators, and candidates, improving both usability and oversight.

SEIMS was initially developed in 1998 and is the central elections management system that coordinates statewide elections processes, voter registration, voter roll list maintenance, and reporting of election results. It is used daily by the State Board and the 100 county boards of elections.

“The resolution adopted today reflects the Commission’s confidence that the State Board of Elections and the Office of the State Auditor are positioned to advance a comprehensive modernization and eventual replacement of SEIMS,” Brooks Fuller of Common Cause NC, a commission member and sponsor of the member-initiated resolution, said in a press release. “We are asking the General Assembly to provide sustained funding so this work can move from planning to implementation. We, as members of the MEDS Commission, will continue to offer public review and transparency through this important process.”

The public has been vocal about cybersecurity when it comes to election systems. Of the 80 submissions, approximately 30-35 were about cybersecurity, the most of any subject.

At their meeting last month, MEDS received suggestions ranging from implementing multifactor authentication, end-to-end encryption, and “zero trust” architecture — a security model that eliminates implicit trust, requiring strict identity verification for every person and device attempting to access resources, regardless of their location. It operates on “never trust, always verify” principles.

The second most noted submission was on data integrity, focusing on correcting legacy data problems, validating inputs, resolving duplicate records, and integrating authoritative data sources.

Third on the list was transparency, which was framed as essential to public confidence through dashboards, exports, API’s (a set of rules on how systems receive and request information), and timely public reporting.

Campaign finance modernization came in at No. 4 and centered on replacing outdated systems with electronic filing, automation, and integrations.

Being able to audit and being able to verify who did what, when, and why across systems rounded out the top five concerns.

The MEDS Commission was created and is chaired by State Auditor Dave Boliek.

North Carolina State Board of Elections Executive Director Sam Hayes recently spoke with Carolina Journal about modernizing election systems as one of his top priorities when he took office a year ago.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with a correction to which phase of the project the $60 million would fund.