Voter registrations at DMV nearly double in a year

I voted stickers sit at a polling place on Nov. 8

RALEIGH — The number of N.C. voters who registered to vote through DMV, Social Services or similar agencies has more than doubled since 2012. According to data released from the State Board of Elections last week, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 led to a record 715,000 registrations in 2016.At DMV offices, the increase in voter registrations climbed more than 80 percent since 2015. The DMV’s new online system allows customers to update their voter records when they make changes to their driver’s licenses and other DMV records. More than 661,000 DMV customers registered to vote or updated their registrations in 2016.”This is great news for voter participation and will help ensure the accuracy of North Carolina’s voter rolls moving forward,” said Kim Westbrook Strach, executive director of the State Board of Elections.Under NVRA, certain agencies that provide public services, such as county departments of social services and Division of Motor Vehicles offices, must also provide voter registration services to their customers.