PASQUOTANK COUNTY, N.C. — As the nation moves forward in an historic election year, some North Carolina county boards of elections are fighting the spread of misinformation from among voters.
"I don't know exactly how many groups are working towards this effort, but I know that we've seen an increase here in Pasquotank, a rapid increase in voter registration submitted to our office from these voter registration drives," said Emma Tate, the director of elections for Pasquotank County.
Tate has been the director of the Pasquotank County Board of Elections since 2019. Since June, she said her office has received many calls from people questioning their voting status.
"We started getting an influx of phone calls from people concerning voter registration drives that were taking place and some misinformation that may have been shared at these drives," Tate said.
The Pasquotank County Board of Election is one of many offices dealing with the spread of misinformation. Officials with Currituck County are also fighting this issue.
On social media, Currituck County reminded voters that they "do not need to complete a new form to continue to be a registered voter."
Tate said when an individual registers to vote multiple times, the information is added to a person's existing profile. It does not cause duplicate voter registrations.
"I wouldn't say it was harmful," Tate said. "When the system recognizes that this information has been entered before, it automatically links it to their existing record."
Tate explained that voters are removed from a state's voter database if an individual is inactive, moved to a different county or state, died, or committed a felony.
Tate also said that voting is a community process, and individuals or groups who desire to register people to vote should contact the Board of Elections.
"If we have an organization in the county who is working in parallel or tandem with the board of elections, then there can be miscommunications across, so it's always better for all organizations to know that we're here as a source of information and we're happy to help them," she said.
If a person wants to learn their voter status, Tate said that they should call their county or city board of elections.