STANLY COUNTY, N.C. — A "one-time error" by a state agency caused a Stanly County voter's party affiliation to change without her approval, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections. The Stanly County Board of Elections has since accepted the unaffiliated voter's primary election provisional ballot after she contested her registration as a Democrat on Super Tuesday.
Stephanie Smith raised several concerns on Election Day about her voter registration document, including the fact someone else's signature was at the bottom of the form.
"It is our understanding that this individual visited the Albemarle Driver License Office on July 31, 2023, and a DMV transaction and voter registration application were initiated," NCSBE Public Information Officer Patrick Gannon said. "Soon after starting the process, it was revealed that the customer was ineligible for the driver license service that was initiated. Neither that transaction, nor the voter application, was completed. However, the incomplete voter registration application was mistakenly sent to the State Board of Elections and processed. It is the State Board's understanding that this was a one-time error and that the (North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles) has taken corrective action to ensure this does not happen again. This includes Division-wide training and an after-action review. The error occurred as a result of an incomplete transaction. The signature was for the next customer serviced."
Smith previously told WCNC Charlotte she had to fill out a provisional ballot, because if she didn't, she would've been required to vote in the Democratic primary, even though Smith said she's not a Democrat.
Ahead of Election Day, Smith said she went to the state's website to confirm her precinct and quickly noticed her party affiliation was listed as Democrat. She said she did not notice the error on her registration card, because she recently moved and was preoccupied.
"I'm always registered as unaffiliated or an independent voter," Smith told WCNC Charlotte. "When I saw that I was a registered Democrat, I was very confused."
Smith said upon discovering the issue, she immediately went to the election office, afraid it might be the result of a clerical error. She said her fears only grew when workers printed out the last voter registration form they received from the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, the agency Smith said she registered through in 2023 when she secured her new driver's license. Not only did she see someone else's signature on the NCDMV form, she noticed the wrong place of birth listed and a submission date several days before the state issued her new license.
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"I have no idea who that is," Smith said of the mystery signature on the voter registration application. "Somebody's messing with something that I can't see and I don't like it, because I should have full control over what that information states."
Stanly County Director of Elections Kimberly Blackwelder told WCNC Charlotte this was an uncommon complaint.
"I can confirm that the staff and myself spoke with Stephanie at length regarding her voter registration record," Blackwelder said. "We informed her of the option to vote a provisional ballot, and she provided our office with documentation to assist us in researching her record during the canvass period. The provisional process is very important in situations where the voter's information or eligibility is in question."
There are multiple allowable instances where voters can vote by provisional ballot.
Smith said she used her provisional ballot to vote in the Republican primary. At the time, she also alerted criminal investigators, unsure if this was the result of a mistake or something more sinister.
Contact Nate Morabito at nmorabito@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.