Big wins in major battleground state bodes well for midterms
The Republican National Committee (RNC) and North Carolina Republican Party (NCGOP) celebrated two significant court wins in the past 10 days that strengthen election integrity safeguards in the important battleground state of North Carolina.
In the first case, on May 26, a Wake County Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the RNC and NCGOP, reaffirming that only individuals who have actually resided in North Carolina may vote there. The decision struck down North Carolina Board of Elections (NCSBE) practices allowing “never residents”—typically U.S. citizens born abroad whose parents previously lived in the state—to register and cast ballots, upholding the clear residency requirements in the state constitution.
“This is a clear win for fair and lawful elections,” said RNC Chairman Joe Gruters. “The court upheld the North Carolina Constitution and made clear that only North Carolina residents can vote in the state. The RNC will keep fighting to ensure only eligible citizens can vote.”
NCGOP Chairman Jason Simmons said of the decision:
“This ruling confirms the state constitution forbids voting by individuals who have never lived in North Carolina. The Court of Appeals and Supreme Court decisively ruled on this previously and the decision reaffirms the common-sense principle only North Carolina citizens can vote in North Carolina elections.”
The court’s decision is simple and clear: individuals who do not live—and have never lived—in North Carolina are not allowed to choose who represents the people of the state. The ruling does not impact voters who qualify under the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, which applies to U.S. citizens who previously lived in a state and are currently serving overseas.
In a second key victory, on May 20, the RNC and the NCGOP dealt Democrat lawfare operative Marc Elias' law firm another crippling blow! North Carolina now must remove noncitizens excused from jury duty from the voter rolls. A consent judgment instructs the NCSBE and other state and county elections officials to use jury-duty records to identify registered voters who have acknowledged they are not U.S. citizens.
Where individuals self-identify as non-U.S. citizens—elections officials must flag and investigate those registrants on the voter rolls and remove non-citizens from the voter rolls whenever a non-citizen responds to a juror questionnaire.
Those noncitizens will have to be removed from voter rolls, a significant legal victory in forcing a state to purge its voter rolls amid strong Democrat opposition.
“This agreement is a major win for election integrity in North Carolina,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said. “It’s straightforward: if someone admits they’re not a U.S. citizen during jury duty, that information should be used to check the voter rolls and remove anyone who doesn’t belong.”
The agreement requires the elections board to actually follow North Carolina law. Elections officials will be required to use jury duty records to identify and remove from the voter rolls individuals who stated they could not serve on juries because they are not U.S. citizens.
Confirmed noncitizens will be removed after notice and opportunity to object, with any evidence of prior voting referred to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation for potential prosecution. This enforces a 2023 state law mandating the sharing of such jury data for voter list maintenance.
Noncitizen voting enables fraudulent votes and can steal elections. Noncitizens can illegally register and vote by falsely claiming U.S. citizenship on registration forms, often through self-attestation under penalty of perjury or administrative errors in processes like “Motor Voter” at the DMV.
In North Carolina, Canadian citizen Denis Bouchard pleaded guilty in March 2026 to two counts of making false claims of citizenship on voter registration applications; he illegally voted in the 2022 elections and the 2024 presidential election despite never becoming a U.S. citizen.
Similarly, in 2018, federal authorities indicted 19 foreign nationals for falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register and vote in the 2016 North Carolina elections. Each illegal ballot directly cancels a legitimate citizen’s vote. In close races, even small numbers of such fraudulent votes can alter outcomes and undermine public confidence in elections
The settlement also calls for publishing relevant names (with appropriate redactions) and potential investigations into any improperly cast ballots!
These efforts demonstrate the RNC’s commitment to ensuring every legal vote counts while helping keep elections fair, transparent, and secure. By enforcing basic common-sense eligibility rules for residency and citizenship, the wins help prevent the dilution of legitimate ballots and restore voter confidence—principles that can serve as a model for other states pursuing similar serious clean-up efforts.
The victories add to the RNC’s impressive legal record, with over 128 election integrity lawsuits filed across 32 states in recent years. Many of these cases have delivered wins on voter ID requirements, voter roll maintenance, absentee ballot safeguards, and protections against noncitizen voting.
This is most definitely not the Republican Party of 2020. It is gratifying to see Republicans go on offense. The RNC's aggressive yet targeted approach—combining litigation, poll-watcher programs, and state-level partnerships—has produced tangible results that help promote higher standards of accuracy and trust nationwide.
Of course, there will be legal setbacks, but the overall nationwide trend is good.
By focusing on commonsense measures that have broad public support, Republicans are helping ensure elections remain fair and accessible to eligible citizens while limiting fraud. Momentum is critical for the 2026 midterms, as these efforts empower voters and promote higher standards of accuracy and trust.
Of Note: North Carolina’s 2026 U.S. Senate race has emerged as one of the nation’s premier political battlegrounds, featuring an open seat left by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. In the March 3 primary, Democrats chose former Gov. Roy Cooper, while Republicans chose former RNC Chair Michael Whatley.
The race is expected to be one of the most expensive in U.S. Senate history, with projections of $600–800 million in total spending as both parties pour in resources, setting up a high-stakes contest that could help decide control of the Senate in the November 3, 2026, midterms.
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