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Registration-repair sweep reduces Buncombe County unmatched records from 2,087 to 1,293; second sweep underway
Summary
County elections staff reported progress on a statewide registration-repair project to match driver’s license and Social Security numbers; the unmatched count fell from 2,087 to 1,293 and staff will run a second sweep through Dec. 15 to try to resolve remaining mismatches.
Elections staff updated the Buncombe County Board of Elections on the registration-repair project the office began in July to add driver’s license and Social Security numbers to records that lacked them.
Staff reported the county began with 2,087 records flagged as missing identifying numbers and has reduced that number to 1,293 through clerical work and responses to state mailings. "At the beginning... the number for Buncombe County was 2,087 records. Right now... that number is down to 1,293," Amy said.
The State Board of Elections has mailed preliminary notices; staff said the state will perform additional mailings but dates for those mailings were not provided. County staff described a second sweep of unvalidated records that began a few days before the meeting and will run through Dec. 15; that sweep will involve checking for typographical issues, name variations (hyphens, apostrophes, maiden names), and other mismatches that can prevent automated validation. "This is what we're trying to get to the bottom of for this next week," Amy said.
Staff explained the local validation workflow: staff enter the number into the county system, a second staff reviewer checks entries and the state system compares the submission to DMV records first and then Social Security data. If a record does not exactly match state records, the system marks it as invalid and the registrant remains on the active list pending further action. Staff noted that earlier behavior in the state system sometimes deleted mismatched numbers instead of retaining them; they said they will follow up with the state about whether that behavior has been corrected.
Board members asked whether the pace of confirmations was slowing; staff said returns were likely to diminish after initial robust returns and noted address-change and mail-undeliverable issues also slow progress. Staff said they keep a spreadsheet to track entries and that the county will continue to accept and enter numbers as they return from voters.
The board did not take formal action on the registration-repair item; staff will continue the sweep and report back.
