North Carolina election officials will now be required to do more to identify and remove noncitizens from the state’s voter rolls after reaching a legal agreement with the Republican National Committee and the North Carolina Republican Party.
The consent judgment, signed last week by Wake County Superior Court Judge Jennifer Bedford, resolves a lawsuit filed by the RNC over what Republicans described as the State Board of Elections’ failure to comply with existing state law ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Republicans are calling the agreement a major victory for election integrity efforts in the battleground state.
Under the deal, election officials must begin using jury duty records to identify individuals who stated they were not U.S. citizens and therefore ineligible to serve on juries. Those names will then be checked against voter registration records to determine whether any noncitizens are improperly registered to vote.
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters praised the outcome, arguing that the process is common sense.
“This agreement is a major win for election integrity in North Carolina,” Gruters said in a statement. “It’s straightforward: if someone admits they’re not a U.S. citizen during jury duty, that information should be used to check the voter rolls and remove anyone who doesn’t belong.”
The dispute centered on a 2023 North Carolina law requiring county clerks to provide information about prospective jurors who claim noncitizen status. Republicans argued the State Board of Elections was not adequately enforcing that law or using the information to maintain accurate voter rolls.
According to the RNC, the party first attempted to obtain records through a public-records request in 2024 but claimed the elections board failed to respond. Republicans later filed suit, which ultimately led to the settlement agreement.
ELECTION INTEGRITY: RNC secures consent judgment forcing North Carolina to purge noncitizens from voter rolls using jury-duty records where people admitted they aren’t U.S. citizens.
The state elections board must now review those records, identify ineligible voters, and begin… pic.twitter.com/9OYCSBVOD3
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) May 24, 2026
The case also drew opposition from left-leaning activist groups represented by attorneys from the Elias Law Group, the firm founded by Democratic attorney Marc Elias. North Carolina Asians Together and El Pueblo sought to intervene in the case, objecting to provisions involving the public posting of juror disqualification information related to citizenship status.
Attorneys for the groups argued that publishing such information online could create privacy concerns and discourage civic participation. During court proceedings, attorney Narendra Ghosh argued that while certain records may legally qualify as public information, the law does not necessarily require them to be broadly publicized online in a searchable format.
Supporters of the agreement countered that transparency is necessary to ensure election laws are enforced consistently and accurately.
North Carolina is not alone in using jury information for voter roll maintenance. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, at least 17 states already have laws or policies allowing election officials to use jury disqualification records to identify potential noncitizens on voter rolls.
The agreement also comes as Republicans ramp up election integrity efforts nationwide ahead of the 2026 midterms. Gruters recently announced a multimillion-dollar initiative aimed at recruiting poll workers, poll watchers, and election observers in key states.
The broader debate over election security continues in Congress as well. Republicans have pushed for legislation such as the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register for federal elections and photo identification to vote. Supporters argue such measures protect confidence in elections, while critics contend existing safeguards are already sufficient and warn additional requirements could create barriers for eligible voters.
With the North Carolina agreement now finalized, election officials in the state will be under increased pressure to demonstrate that voter rolls are being actively maintained and that existing election laws are being enforced as written.
