Public Interest Legal Foundation, N.C. elections board reach settlement over foreigners’ voting records | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal. The author of this post is CJ Staff.

    The N.C. State Board of Elections and the Public Interest Legal Foundation have reached a settlement for the board to disclose records relating to foreigners registering and voting.

    PILF is touting the settlement as a win for election transparency and the National Voter Registration Act, which requires election officials to allow inspection of all records related to the maintenance of the voter rolls.

    The state elections board, PILF says in a news release, agreed to settle the case after a federal appellate court ruled that the registration act requires disclosure of documents relating to noncitizens registering and voting. The terms of the settlement also included an agreement to pay a portion of PILF's attorneys fees.

    "This is a huge win for transparency in North Carolina's elections," said PILF President Christian Adams. "The public has a right to know about election vulnerabilities. These records conclusively show that foreigners have been registering to vote and voting in North Carolina elections. It is a shame our efforts to disclose these records were met with such resistance by election officials. Real foreign interference in American elections happens when foreigners cast ballots. This victory demonstrates that changes to national voter registration policies are needed to prevent this from happening."

    PILF, the release says, filed the lawsuit against the elections board in June 2019 for failing to disclose records showing noncitizens' registration and voting. The lower court dismissed the complaint, saying that PILF could not obtain the records. In May 2021, PILF won its appeal to the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

    PILF, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, says it has been uncovering government records showing foreigners voting across the United States, "including in Pennsylvania, Texas, New Jersey, and California. PILF continues to be in litigation with Pennsylvania to obtain all the records involving a multi-decade failure to prevent aliens from registering and voting there."