Election data commission asks lawmakers to fund replacement of state elections system
RALEIGH, N.C. — A state election data commission is asking North Carolina lawmakers to provide sustained funding to replace the Statewide Elections Information Management System, the central elections system used by the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
The Modernization of Election Data Systems Advisory Commission approved a resolution May 20 urging the General Assembly to provide funding for the full replacement of SEIMS, according to the Office of the State Auditor.
The commission was created and is chaired by State Auditor Dave Boliek. The Auditor’s Office said the commission was established to guide modernization of the state’s election data infrastructure, including replacement planning for SEIMS and modernization of campaign finance reporting.
SEIMS was initially developed in 1998 and remains the State Board of Elections’ central election management system, according to the Auditor’s Office. The office said a replacement would be intended to strengthen security, improve list maintenance accuracy, speed responses to county change requests and law changes, improve user experience and support custom reporting for internal audits.
The State Board has requested as much as $60 million for the replacement project, which the Auditor’s Office said would take several years to implement and test.
Members of the bipartisan MEDS Commission unanimously adopted the resolution at their May 20 meeting, according to the Auditor’s Office. The resolution asks “the General Assembly and State leadership” to provide necessary and sustained funding for the replacement.
“This Commission has moved North Carolina from concept to execution by creating a disciplined, transparent modernization process grounded in public input and operational expertise,” Boliek said in the release. “The Office of the State Auditor is prepared to help manage procurement and implementation in close partnership with the State Board of Elections as we move from planning to implementation.”
State Board of Elections Executive Director Sam Hayes said the commission’s support helps position the board and its partners to move from planning to implementation.
“This support helps position the State Board and our partners to move from planning to implementation in a way that improves election administration and service to voters statewide,” Hayes said.
The request gives lawmakers a budget decision with election administration, cybersecurity and county-level consequences. The issue also comes as state and county election officials continue to manage voter registration, absentee voting, campaign finance reporting and election administration in a politically sensitive environment.
The Auditor’s Office said the commission’s adopted resolution supports continued modernization and the scheduled full replacement of SEIMS.
Editor’s note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.
