North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) Executive Director Sam Hayes has sent a second letter to North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV) Commissioner Paul Tine requesting the Social Security numbers of DMV customers who are also registered voters.
Russ Ferguson, US Attorney, Western District of North Carolina, state Sens. Brad Overcash, R-Gaston, Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell, and Warren Daniel, R-Burke, co-chairmen, Senate Committee on Elections, and state Reps. Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke, and Sarah Stevens, R-Surry, co-chairs of the House Committee on Election Law, were also copied in the letter.
He first requested the information in a letter in September.
The information would allow election officials to match voter records more precisely against other government databases, identify duplicate registrations, and verify voter eligibility.
Hayes said the request is becoming increasingly important as the board prepares for the 2026 midterm elections.
“Accurate voter rolls are essential to both voter access and election integrity,” he said in a press release. “Full cooperation between our agencies will help ensure that only eligible voters are on the rolls, while reducing the risk of false matches that can undermine public trust.”
At its November 25 meeting, the NCSBE voted to initiate the process of entering into a Memorandum of Agreement with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to use its Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database, which will allow the board to compare North Carolina’s voter rolls with the SAVE database.
Hayes said it is one of the few tools available to verify citizenship status and uphold the constitutional requirement that only US citizens can vote in North Carolina.
He also stated during the meeting that Ferguson had written to Tine regarding a number of non-citizens who had been processed through the DMV and the motor voter registration system.
“Commissioner Tine says the problem is fixed,” Hayes said during the meeting. “I have never seen a satisfactory answer on how that issue was fixed. These people were just waved through the system, and many, I believe, without their knowledge. There may have been an English proficiency issue there as well. So, I believe that that problem still exists, and so does the United States Attorney.”
In the Dec. 4 letter, Hayes said that while he understands that the data-sharing request is still undergoing legal review within NCDMV, two months have passed since his initial request.
“As we approach the 2026 midterm elections, timely cooperation is critical,” he stressed in the letter. “Full Social Security numbers would significantly improve our ability to remove deceased voters and individuals with disqualifying felony convictions, identify duplicate registrations, and determine whether any non-US citizens have been added, mistakenly or otherwise, to the rolls. Access to this information would also reduce the likelihood of false matches, which is vital for maintaining public confidence.”
A DMV investigation “did not reveal any systemic issues within our processes,” Tine wrote to Ferguson on Aug. 28. The commissioner highlighted “two instances where errors occurred due to examiner oversight.”
Tine’s letter offered specific information about the five people Ferguson cited in his email. Ferguson responded on Sept. 25 that he planned to share the information with the state’s other US attorneys, “since this seems to be a state-wide problem not limited to my district.”
Hayes repeated Ferguson’s concerns again in the letter.
He also underscored that Section 303 of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 “requires election officials and motor vehicle agencies to enter into data-sharing agreements as needed to verify the accuracy of voter registration information.”
“Our request aligns with these requirements and reflects longstanding best practices across the country,” Hayes added.
He said he and the board are ready to work closely with Tine and his team to transfer the information securely and in full compliance with state and federal law.
“We will continue to safeguard sensitive data within our election management system, as we have done reliably for decades.”
In an emailed statement to Carolina Journal, a spokesperson for the DMV said that, “We’re aware of the letter and will respond in due course.”
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