P.O.

Box 27255
Raleigh, NC 27611
(866) 522-4723
www.ncsbe.gov

VIA EMAIL

Sen. Berger Speaker Moore

Sen. Hise Rep. Arp
Sen. Jackson Rep. Lambeth
Sen. Lee Rep. Saine
Sen. Alexander Rep. Cleveland
Sen. Ford Rep. Riddell
Sen. Jarvis

May 12, 2023

Dear Leaders and Appropriations Chairs of the North Carolina General Assembly,

The State Board of Elections is committed to ensuring that all laws and court orders are properly
followed. I am writing to ask your support for funding to ensure that these orders and the voter
photo ID laws are successfully implemented.

After receiving notice of the North Carolina Supreme Court’s rulings in Holmes v. Moore,
Harper v. Hall, and Community Success Initiative v. Moore, our agency immediately launched
efforts to implement those decisions. This included providing copies of new voter registration
forms to the public as quickly as possible; immediately working with the county boards, the
DMV, and the Department of Adult Correction to adjust our practices to account for new
eligibility criteria; and convening multiple workgroups among county and state staff to aid
implementation of the photo ID laws for the municipal elections in September, October, and
November 2023.

Successful implementation will necessitate integration of these orders at all levels of

election administration, from state-level rulemaking and public outreach to county-level
poll worker training and ID issuance. Consistent application of policies and procedures in
100 counties in 2023 and 2024 will require the State Board of Elections to lead and engage
with our agency partners, county boards, and North Carolina voters.

I write today to request your collaboration in this effort by investing in the people and programs
we need to keep North Carolina a standard-bearer for election integrity. We are grateful for the
proposals put forth in the House budget, but I ask that the General Assembly take all necessary
steps to sustain and reinforce the agency’s critical services for the 2023-2025 biennium. To
ensure the smooth implementation of NC Supreme Court’s rulings, I kindly request your full
funding of the following line items:

• Voter ID Contingency Funds ($6.5 million over the biennium). Funding for the 2023-
2025 biennium to support costs for implementing photo ID requirements through the
2024 Presidential Election. The House-passed budget included $3.5 million for such
efforts, but only through the coming fiscal year, which ends before voting begins in the
2024 general election. Additional funding and authorization to use that funding through
the biennium would better meet the task of educating the public and preparing our 100
county boards and 25,000 poll workers for photo ID implementation. This includes costs
associated with three statewide postcard mailings to voters, a targeted mailing to voters
lacking photo ID, a paid advertising campaign to reach the State’s 7.2 million voters,
county photo ID printing and secure photo database, and training and materials for the
nearly 3,000 voting sites across the State.
• Voter Registration Form Replacement Funds ($50,000). One-year funding to replace
now-obsolete voter registration forms. The agency is currently printing forms using
existing resources, which the agency has already had to do two twice over the last three
years due to court orders. We estimate 700,000 forms will have to be printed to replace
current inventory before the 2024 general election. Absorbing these unanticipated costs
has diverted resources from budgeted-for elections personnel and programs. Funds to
account for this significant expense would support sound election administration and
ensure we can carry out our obligations under court orders and our registration laws.
• Regional Support ($422,064). Recurring funds for an additional 5 Election Specialist II
positions to provide on-the-ground support to all 100 county boards of elections. These
regional support positions will play a key role in supporting and counseling county staff
on new processes for photo ID implementation.
• In-Person Voting Specialist ($84,412). Recurring funds for an in-person voting specialist
to support election day voting and early voting site administration, and curbside voting.
This staff member will work with counties to ensure integration of Voter ID—which
involves significant changes to procedures at the polling place—and changes to felon
voting registration.
• Database Support ($317,085). Recurring funds for two database professionals to manage
data and conduct audits. This includes hiring IT specialists to aid with list maintenance
and geocoding voters in new congressional and legislative districts, as well as managing
the secure database of voter photographs required by the 2018 session law.
• Software Developers ($268,345). Recurring funds for two software developers. The
court rulings necessitate numerous changes to the State’s election management system
that counties use to carry out the voting and counting processes. New software is also
needed to integrate the county-issued photo ID functionality and to securely store voter
photos, as required by the 2018 session law. IT development staff, which has diminished
in recent years, is already faced with a significant backlog of software fixes.

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While I understand that there are many competing priorities this session, as there are in every
session, I ask that you prioritize the unique role the State Board of Elections plays in building
confidence in our government, supporting our counties, and safeguarding the right of North
Carolinians to vote in fair and accessible elections in 2023 and 2024. The task ahead of our
elections officials in preparing for the 2024 general election is significant. But with your support,
we are up to the task.

As always, we would be glad to brief you further on our requests, and to answer any of your
questions.

Sincerely,

Karen Brinson Bell

Executive Director, State Board of Elections