RALEIGH --- Republican Auditor Les Merritt once again raised the specter of voter fraud without actual proof.

Mr. Merritt’s office hinted to reporters that they might have information about alleged irregularities in voter registration. But when asked to provide proof, Merritt’s office said they wouldn’t release the information until after the November election.

“The state elections board cannot fix any alleged problems unless Mr. Merritt says what they are and provides evidence to substantiate his claims,” said NCDP Chair Jerry Meek. “Either Mr. Merritt is incompetent or he has another agenda here.”

“Mr. Merritt has a pattern of using his public office for personal and political ambitions, whether it’s offering discounted accounting services or delaying a bill that would encourage people to vote,” Meek said. “By once again raising the specter of voter fraud, Mr. Merritt and other Republicans hope people won’t go to the polls in November.”

Republicans gain when voters stay home.

Democrats have added eight times as many new voters as Republicans since the beginning of the year.

There are fewer registered Republicans today than in January in 15 counties, including Durham, Buncombe, Watauga, Orange and Guilford.

One-third of the new voters are African-American, two out of five new voters live in the state’s six largest counties, and 10,000 of them identify themselves as Hispanic, according to a recent report from Democracy North Carolina, a non-partisan political watchdog.

Among southern states, North Carolina has seen the greatest drop in GOP identification, from 35 percent in 2004 to just 26 percent in March of this year, according to the Pew Research Center.