The Cumberland County Board of Elections has been notified that a state review found 1,104 people listed as deceased on the county’s voter registration rolls.
What the state review discovered
The figure for Cumberland emerged after the North Carolina State Board of Elections compared the state's voter files with federal databases as part of a wider verification exercise. Statewide, the review flagged 34,641 registrations as potentially linked to deceased individuals.
“While we expected to find some cases, this is higher than we anticipated,” said Sam Hayes, executive director of the State Board of Elections.
The state submission to the federal verification system included more than 7.39 million voter records, a step intended to vet registrations for citizenship status and to identify duplicate and deceased registrations.
How the flagged names break down
The state board’s April 27 release gave a breakdown of the 34,641 names it identified:
- 3,203 names already removed from the voter rolls
- 22,216 names listed as inactive and therefore subject to removal
- 9,222 names listed as active but liable to be moved to inactive status without further activity
| Area | Deceased names flagged |
|---|---|
| Cumberland County | 1,104 |
| Statewide (North Carolina) | 34,641 |
What Cumberland officials are doing
Board member Irene Grimes told local reporters that county election officials do not yet have a full breakdown of which of the 1,104 flagged registrations are currently classed as active or inactive. The county registrar is conducting a review to verify the records and to determine the appropriate maintenance steps.
The state board emphasised that identifying deceased names on the rolls does not itself indicate voter fraud. Voter-list maintenance, the release noted, is required by state and federal law and the cross-checking is aimed at improving the accuracy of registration lists.
Why this matters to voters in Cumberland
Accurate voter rolls are fundamental to administering elections and to public confidence in the process. The review means the county will need to undertake administrative follow-up to confirm and, where appropriate, remove or change the status of registrations.
For residents: if you believe your registration details are incorrect — for example, if you have recently moved, changed name, or been inactive in previous elections — contact the Cumberland County Board of Elections or check the state’s voter portal for guidance on your current registration status.
