Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP— This week we learned that the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, acting on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has subpoenaed massive troves of voter data from 44 North Carolina counties dating back several years. The subpoenas demand information on voter registration, voting records, and even over 2 million ballots traceable to the voters who cast them. This massive request would require our state and local elections officials produce millions of documents, including sensitive voter information, with mere weeks to go before elections begin. As State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement attorney Josh Lawson told the assistant U.S. Attorney handling the case, complying with these requests will make it difficult for county officials to prepare for the approaching general election. Moreover, we are also concerned about how federal authorities will use the subpoenaed data. The now disbanded Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity sought sensitive information from all 50 states in 2017; one of its own commissioners now says that the group sought a predetermined outcome: make trumped up charges against voters, for partisan gain. And now even more sensitive information is sought by ICE— an agency with no role in election administration. In response to the subpoenas, the N.C. State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement will hold a meeting on Friday, September 7, at 10 a.m., to consider the request. Send a message now to N.C. Elections Board Chair Andy Penry asking that he and the entire Board stand up to this unreasonable and excessive effort to intimidate voters and violate voter confidence. Speaking up right now is important. Board members and other public officials need to see that the public opposes this troubling and excessive voter information grab— and supports our election officials and fellow voters.
Thank you, Tomas Lopez Democracy North Carolina