Here’s what voters need to know.
A major legal victory for the Republican National Committee and President Donald Trump could dramatically reshape election integrity efforts in North Carolina.
State election officials will now be required to review and remove noncitizens from voter rolls using jury-duty records, according to a newly approved court agreement that Republicans are calling a major breakthrough for secure elections.
The agreement requires the North Carolina State Board of Elections to use information from residents who claimed noncitizenship in order to avoid jury duty. Under state law, noncitizens are prohibited from both voting in elections and serving on juries.
Republicans say the ruling closes a dangerous loophole that allowed individuals who admitted they were not U.S. citizens to potentially remain registered to vote.
“This agreement is a major win for election integrity in North Carolina,” said Joe Gruters, chairman of the RNC.
“If someone states they are not a U.S. citizen during jury duty proceedings, that information should absolutely be reviewed to ensure voter rolls remain accurate and lawful,” Gruters added.
The consent judgment was approved by Superior Court Judge Jennifer Bedford after a brief online hearing Wednesday.
According to reports from local media outlets, Bedford indicated that information submitted through the court system should not simply be ignored by other government agencies, especially when election laws are involved.
New Requirements Through 2028
Under the agreement, county court clerks must regularly send records involving noncitizenship claims to state election officials through 2028.
Election authorities will then have 30 days to:
- Review voter-registration records
- Verify citizenship status
- Notify county election boards
- Begin removal procedures for ineligible voters
- Refer potential unlawful voting cases to investigators and prosecutors when necessary
The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed in 2024 by the Republican National Committee and the North Carolina Republican Party.
Republicans accused the state elections board of failing to follow an existing North Carolina law requiring court clerks to report individuals excused from jury duty because they were not citizens.
Republicans Push Back On Election Concerns
The issue has become one of the most closely watched election-integrity battles in the country.
Supporters of the agreement argue that accurate voter rolls are essential to maintaining public trust in elections, especially as concerns about election security continue to dominate national political discussions.
The debate in North Carolina dates back years. In 2019, former Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed legislation backed by Republicans that aimed to strengthen the removal of illegal immigrants from voter-registration databases.
Democrat-aligned advocacy organizations objected to portions of the latest agreement, particularly a requirement involving public access to certain records on the elections board’s FTP system.
Attorneys representing those groups argued the move could create privacy concerns or discourage civic participation.
Republicans countered that the records are already public under state law and said transparency is necessary to restore confidence in the election system.
Broader National Election Fight
The North Carolina case is part of a much larger nationwide effort by Republicans focused on citizenship verification and voter eligibility rules ahead of future elections.
The Republican National Committee is also supporting legal efforts tied to President Donald Trump’s push for documentary proof of citizenship requirements for voter registration.
In addition, Republicans have urged the Supreme Court to review Arizona’s proof-of-citizenship voting law, which has become another major national election-integrity case.
Polling from Heritage Action for America found broad support among North Carolina voters for removing noncitizens from voter-registration rolls, including majorities of Republicans, independents, and even Democrats.
For many conservatives, the latest court victory represents another significant step toward tighter election safeguards ahead of the next major election cycle.
