One Year In, Director Hayes Highlights Major Initiatives and Achievements at the State Board

On the one-year anniversary of his appointment to the role, North Carolina State Board of Elections Executive Director Sam Hayes is reflecting on a series of accomplishments. Since May 15, 2025, the agency has launched significant modernization efforts, strengthened voter registration processes, and reorganized internal operations to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

"My administration has made significant progress, and I am very proud of our accomplishments so far, but we are by no means done," said Executive Director Hayes. "With the successful 2026 primaries behind us and the general election approaching, the hard work continues. We have important projects to complete and more improvements on the way. These successes are rooted in the hard work of our board and staff at both the state and county levels."

Below are highlights from Director Hayes' first year:

SEIMS Enhancements

• The State Election Information Management System (SEIMS) modernization project is strengthening system functionality and security while bridging the gap until a full system replacement begins within the next two years.
• In February, Director Hayes announced the selection of ReFrame Solutions as the vendor to modernize SEIMS through a $4.66 million contract.
• Modernization work is currently underway.

SEIMS Full Replacement & Campaign Finance System Updates

• The comprehensive replacement of SEIMS - the largest overhaul of election data management in state history - will be conducted through a separate competitive bidding process. Vendor selection and project scope are expected later this year.
• The bipartisan, 22-member MEDS (Modernization of Election Data Systems) Commission, created by State Auditor Dave Boliek, is meeting regularly to provide recommendations on the modernization.
• Director Hayes and Auditor Boliek jointly launched a statewide effort in October to collect input on both SEIMS and the Campaign Finance Reporting System.
• The upgraded platforms will provide enhanced security features, improved usability for State Board and county board staff, increased transparency, and modernized workflows that support efficient election administration.
• The State Board is also in the process of updating North Carolina's existing campaign finance software, built in the early 2000s, which stores all legally required campaign disclosures and facilitates public access.

Registration Repair Project

• Launched July 17, 2025, the Registration Repair Project seeks to collect missing ID numbers from registered voters-information required by state and federal law to verify identity.
• The project replaced a previous voter registration form that created confusion about required information. In mid-August, letters were sent to approximately 82,000 voters missing the required ID data. In total, the agency has repaired approximately 37% of those missing information, a number expected to increase throughout the year. No voters were removed from the rolls through this project.

Agency Reorganization

• Director Hayes and Chief of Staff Brian LiVecchi have restructured the agency to improve workflow, clarify reporting lines, and strengthen leadership across key areas, including General Counsel, Communications, Elections Administration, Campaign Finance, and Legislative Affairs. This includes the hiring and/or retention of existing personnel at key positions.
• The Election Security and Enforcement Division has also been enhanced, including the hiring of Director Ron Herring, highlighting a new focus on ensuring elections are free of fraud and tampering.

HAVA Lawsuit Settlement

• On September 9, 2025, the State Board reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in United States of America v. North Carolina State Board of Elections.
• The agreement recognizes the Registration Repair Project as North Carolina's method for ensuring compliance with federal and state voter registration laws while limiting voter inconvenience.

SAVE Database Review

• On April 17, 2026, the State Board submitted 7,397,734 voter records to the federal SAVE system to improve the accuracy and integrity of the statewide voter registration list.
• Preliminary results indicate that approximately 34,000 registered voters are deceased.
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services continues processing additional records and full data is expected soon.
• Once complete, the State Board will analyze and publish aggregate data, including counts by county, party affiliation, and gender.

Successful November Municipal and March Primary Elections

• North Carolina voters experienced smooth Election Days in recent years in both the Municipal elections held on Nov. 2, 2025 and the Midterm Primary Election held on March 3, 2026. No major disruptions, equipment failures, or administrative issues were reported across all 100 counties.
• Early voting participation in the primary increased 25.4% over the 2022 primary, with 701,140 early ballots cast. Including absentee ballots, 714,247 ballots were submitted before Election Day-a 23% increase from 2022.
• Overall turnout for the primary exceeded 1.5 million voters, a 5% increase from 2022.

The State Board also collaborated with the North Carolina Association of Directors of Elections to hold the first-ever Legislative Day in April to engage county directors with legislators and advocate for support.

About the North Carolina State Board of Elections

The North Carolina State Board of Elections oversees the administration of elections and the campaign finance disclosure system for North Carolina. The agency works to ensure fair and secure elections, provides guidance and oversight to county boards of elections, enforces election laws, and promotes public confidence in the integrity of the state's voting process. For more information, visit https://www.ncsbe.gov.