Justice Department Indicts 18 North Carolinians for Illegal Voting
The U.S. Department of Justice indicted 18 people in North Carolina for allegedly voting as non-citizens, bringing the state's total indictments this year to 30.
The United States Department of Justice indicted 18 people in North Carolina on October 29, 2026, for allegedly voting illegally as non-citizens. The charges span the state's Eastern, Middle, and Western districts, bringing the total number of people indicted for illegal voting in North Carolina this year to 30. Defendants are accused of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register or cast ballots, including during the 2024 presidential election. One defendant, Selvin Porfidio Gonzalez Escobar of Robeson County, is identified as an illegal alien from Guatemala.
These prosecutions follow a Supreme Court ruling that permits the use of a federal database to cross-check citizenship records. The N.C. State Board of Elections flagged potential non-citizen voters using this database, and the Justice Department later conducted its own analysis before issuing the charges.
In preparation for the 2026 midterms, the Justice Department is deploying federal election monitors to Wake, Alamance, and Mecklenburg counties. This is part of a broader Trump administration effort to send 1,000 monitors nationwide. However, North Carolina state officials have clarified that state law prohibits these monitors from entering voting enclosures.
