Here is another story about absentee ballot irregularities, this time in Lincoln County.
Does anyone else remember during the 2011 Legislature’s voter ID debate, the liberal voices declaring that voter ID isn’t needed because people do not commit voter fraud by impersonation and that the real fraud takes place in absentee ballots? I thought these statements were odd at the time because I was unaware of much (if any) voter fraud taking place using the absentee ballot system in North Carolina.
But now, I have to ask the question; what came first, the declarations by the liberal-left in the first half of 2011, that real voter fraud was found only in absentee ballots or their decision to initiate a get-out-the-vote program using absentee ballots in November 2011? It is even more interesting knowing that they have have never engaged in an absentee (by mail) voting effort before this year.
Wake, Pasquotank and now Lincoln counties all have reported possible voter fraud using absentee ballots.
Wake and Lincoln have referred some of their cases to their District Attorneys’ offices. It is disconcerting to know that the State Board of Elections has played a role in the problems with absentee ballots this year too.
In an earlier article, “SBOE Flip Flops on Absentee Ballot Request” I wrote about how the State Board of Elections approved a ballot request form submitted by Bob Hall of Democracy NC, the liberal advocacy group that subsequently drove the get-out-the-efforts for the Democrats running in the Wake County School Board in October and November of this year. Johnnie McLean, Deputy Director of the State Board of Elections, approved Bob Hall’s request form until the Wake County GOP submitted a similar form and Ms. McLean denied the GOP’s request. Only after the Wake County Board of Elections Director Cherie Poucher questioned Ms. McLean did she quietly reverse her initial decision approving Bob Hall’s request form.
On a personal note, one of the most interesting revelations in this article comes from the following paragraphs.
During a hearing on those protests Friday, the Lincoln County Board of Elections ruled that there was insufficient evidence that more than one person filled out the ballots being protested. It’s this ruling that is now being appealed to the state.
Correspondence from an elections office staff to the state board shows that the same concerns were raised in advance of the election, but the staff member was told she wasn’t a handwriting expert.
It sounds like board of elections staff in Lincoln County were concerned that signatures on envelopes containing the voters’ ballots did not match the signatures in the voters’ file. You see, when I worked for the Wake County Board of Elections, I too was told by the State Board of Elections that I was not a handwriting expert when I questioned a signature that didn’t match one that we had on file.
The General Election of 2012 is going to be contentious no matter who finally gets on the ticket. We must have laws and rules that are applied justly. I believe the North Carolina State Board of Elections has shown it is incapable of conducting its business, which includes conducting fair, honest elections, in a way that will give the citizens North Carolina confidence they have participated in a fair election.
I think voter fraud is a given useless better rules are put in place with voter ID being the first thing demanded. We’re not living in the dark ages. There are too many dishonest people to expect fairness without it.
How can a common citizen help to put pressure on the election board to demand honest and fair elections? How do we make it clear that we are watching them, and checking their work?
Are their certain contact names we can leverage… Certain offices?
A very basic right in America -voting- is being attacked by a poll tax supported by republican’s- shameful and UN-American to the extreme.
Very good question Carl. Here are a couple of suggestions: get in touch with your local board (or the state board if you are close to Raleigh)and get on their email contact list for notification of meetings. Go to the meetings and take your video camera with you and then post the meeting on youtube. You can observe almost anything the board does, including watching them test and calibrate machines before election day, attending meetings where the 3 board members decide how many and where the one-stop voting sites are going to be within the county in an election. Become a poll worker or a poll watcher. Contact your legislators and let them know that you are worried about the conduct of elections in this state. We must let them know we are becoming more knowlegeable about our election laws and that we want them changed to secure the elections in NC. I know there is more – but this is a start.
randwrong, you’re just plain wrong! There is no tax, no test, just an attempt to ensure one vote per voter. By the way, there is no basic constitutional right to vote either. One does, however, have the right to not be discriminated against should one decide to exercise the option to vote. The first time I worked at the polls in 2000, I was told by one of the democrat precinct judges not to ask voters to sign the authorization to vote form as was then required by law. I reported the incident following the election but nothing came of it. The judge was black as were the majority of voters.
I worked on the voter ID legislation passed by the NC legislaTORS and vetoed by Gov. Purdue. The14th & 15th amendments mentions CITIZEN(S)SEVERAL TIMES,while making no mention of non-ctizens having a right to vote…I spoke at the hearing held on this subject matter directly after the president of the NC chapter of the NAACP quoted the 14th (equal protection) 15th) THE RIGHT OF CITIZENS TO VOTE SHALL NOT BE ABRIDGED…Congress SHALL HAVE POWER TO ENFORCE THIS ARTICLE BY APPROPRIATE LEGISLATION…All I said was I agree with the Counselor that no CITIZEN of the USA should have their right to vote abridged in any way, however, Counselor left out the word Citizen in his speech…Thats all I ask of the NC Legislators- Please amke sure all voters are CITIZENS! NOWHERE IN THE CONSTITUTION DOES IT SAY NON CITIZENS HAVE A RIGHT TO VOTE…fURTHERMORE, a drivers license is not proof of citizenship…NC and other states gave out drivers license as if it was Christmas Candy w.o. regard to citizen or not a citizen…Any legislation must be made to order County Election Boards to verify citizenship without any discrimination as to race, creed, familial status…That is the beginning and the end of legal voter ID,,,