NAACP leads Civil Rights Groups in Challenging Baseless Voter Purge Request in North Carolina

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 5, 2024

Contact: Alicia Mercedes, [email protected]

DURHAM, N.C. - Yesterday, the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP and an impacted North Carolina voter requested to intervene in a case to protect nearly a quarter of a million voters from the RNC's and North Carolina Republican Party's baseless attempt to force the State Board of Elections to remove them from the state's voter rolls ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The politically charged attempt to disenfranchise voters is a clear violation of the National Voter Registration Act which strictly limits systematic voter registration removals this close to an election.

NAACP President & CEO, Derrick Johnson, released the following statement:

"The NAACP is all-too familiar with last ditch efforts to curtail access to the ballot box. Make no mistake - any attempts at disenfranchisement are steeped in racism, and pose a direct threat to Black voters. We won't stand for this. Our National office is proud to continue supporting our units on the ground, providing the resources necessary to ensure democracy works for everybody."

The original complaint is founded on the unsupported assertion that the voter registrations of 225,000 people are invalid and subject to cancellation because there is no driver's license number or social security number on their submitted voter registration forms. The flawed complaint fails to recognize that, until December 2023, voter registration forms made this information optional rather than mandatory. Like other recent cases filed in North Carolina and throughout the United States, this litigation falsely claims election results are being swayed by illegal ballots - a conspiracy theory for which there is no evidence.

"The NC NAACP is participating in this voting suit just as we continuously fight against voter suppression, and this case is no different," said Deborah Maxwell, President of the NC NAACP. "Marginalized voters throughout this state have been consistently targeted through the exploitation of our elections. We stand behind the words of our mission statement to advance the political rights of Black and Brown voters, and we refuse to allow eligible voters to be disenfranchised, which is what the GOP's actions threaten."

The motion to intervene, filed by Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ), the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and Mayer Brown can be foundhere.

To learn more about NAACP's Election Protection work, visit our website.

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About NAACP

The NAACP advocates, agitates, and litigates for the civil rights due to Black America. Our legacy is built on the foundation of grassroots activism by the biggest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century and is sustained by 21st century activists. From classrooms and courtrooms to city halls and Congress, our network of members across the country works to secure the social and political power that will end race-based discrimination. That work is rooted in racial equity, civic engagement, and supportive policies and institutions for all marginalized people. We are committed to a world without racism where Black people enjoy equitable opportunities in thriving communities.

NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund - also referred to as the NAACP-LDF - was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but now operates as a completely separate entity.

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