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Buncombe elections board sustains 10 challenges alleging deceased registrants
Summary
A citizen challenger presented evidence that 10 registered voters were deceased; after a public hearing and staff review of state death‑match lists, the board sustained the challenges and authorized removal of the registrations.
The Buncombe County Board of Elections held a quasi‑judicial hearing on challenges to 10 voter registrations brought by Thomas Neubauer alleging the registrants were deceased. After staff presented the results of its review and no family members or other representatives appeared to contest the evidence, the board sustained the challenges and directed staff to remove the registrations.
Challenge basis and process Thomas Neubauer, a Buncombe County resident, told the board he conducted a review of local voter rolls and submitted death certificates for 10 registrants identified as likely deceased. Neubauer cited North Carolina General Statute Chapter 163, Article 8 as the statutory procedure under which a private citizen may challenge a registrant’s right to remain on the rolls.
Director Corinne Duncan described the county’s list‑maintenance process and explained staff compared the challenger’s evidence with the state/DHHS death‑match lists and the county’s registration records. Duncan said the challenged records fell into several categories after staff review: name mismatches (where the death record and the voter file had inconsistent name fields), date‑of‑birth mismatches, one registrant who did not appear on the state DHHS death list and one case staff said had been missed previously during list processing.
Staff recommended the board sustain the challenges after the hearing; no persons appeared to dispute the challenges when each name was read aloud. The board then considered a motion to sustain the 10 challenges as a group; after the motion and a second by board member Mary Anne, the board voted by voice vote in favor and the challenges were sustained.
Outcome and next steps The board’s action directs staff to proceed with removal of the listed registrations under standard list‑maintenance procedures and to document the removals. Director Duncan said staff would process the removals the following day and follow county and state procedures for removal notifications and recordkeeping.
Why it matters: Accurate voter rolls are essential to election integrity and administration. The board followed the statutory challenge procedure, accepted evidence from a private citizen challenger and relied on staff verification before sustaining removals.
Ending: Staff will complete the removals and record the action; the board will continue to receive list‑maintenance updates in future meetings.
