RALEIGH — The North Carolina State Board of Elections and the Office of the State Auditor are seeking public input on plans to modernize the state’s election management system and campaign finance software, both of which have been in use for more than two decades.
The State Board of Elections (NCSBE) and the Office of the State Auditor (OSA) specifically want the public’s input on what security and reporting features and capabilities should be part of a new system.
“The new election system must be secure and easy to use for the State Board and the 100 county boards of elections,” Sam Hayes, NCSBE executive director, said in a press release. “We also want to make sure the new system can administer elections according to state and federal laws and with public transparency in mind. This RFI is your opportunity to weigh in.”
State Auditor Dave Boliek emphasized the importance of public participation in the process.
“North Carolina voters are the ones casting ballots each year. As the State Board of Elections moves forward with modernization efforts, it’s only right that the public has a voice on this matter,” Boliek said in a separate press statement. “Having transparency is important for voter confidence, voter participation, and election integrity. I encourage all North Carolinians to submit their feedback on best approaches to these fundamental systems.”
The two systems the NCSBE and OSA plan to modernize are the Statewide Elections Information Management System (SEIMS) and campaign finance software. The NCSBE manages the software systems being modernized, and the OSA oversees the budgeting process involved.
SEIMS serves as the central elections management system that coordinates statewide elections processes, voter registration, canvassing, voter roll list maintenance and reporting of election results. The SIEMS system is used daily by both the NCSBE and all 100 county boards of elections.
SIEMS was initially developed in 1998, and the NCSBE had outlined a modernization project for the system in November 2023. That outline noted SEIMS consists of “12 separate, decentralized client-based applications and 2 web-based applications.”
The campaign finance reporting software involves the submission and storage of all campaign finance data and related information required by state and federal law. The software also allows the public to access campaign finance reporting and disclosure forms.
The NCSBE developed the campaign finance system in the early 2000s, and the system is maintained by the board.
The public has three options for submitting comments on the planned modernization: through an online portal at auditor.nc.gov/elections; by email to [email protected]; and by mail to North Carolina Office of the State Auditor, 20601 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699. All public input and comments must be received by 5 p.m. on Nov. 30.
Additionally, a dedicated webpage (ncsbe.gov/rfi) has been set up with information on the modernization projects and how the public can submit suggestions.
The NCSBE and OSA first issued a Request for Information (RFI) on Oct. 31 to gather public input and suggestions from potential vendors about replacing the aging systems.
The information gathered through the RFI will be used to create a formal Request for Proposal that will be issued later to select appropriate vendors/contractors to work on the modernization projects.
Questions about the RFI can be emailed to [email protected] or [email protected].
