LUMBERTON — The result of a District Court election campaign remains in limbo as the state Board of Elections continues its investigation into charges of election fraud in a close congressional race.
“The state board did not certify the results of that District Court race, as the apparent margin of victory in that contest represented fewer votes than those under review by this agency as it investigates absentee voting irregularities in the 9th Congressional District,” Patrick Gannon, a state Elections Board spokesman, wrote in an email.
At issue are the District Court 16B Seat 2 race in Robeson County and the race for the N.C. District 9 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“There is not a separate investigation into the District Court contest,” Gannon wrote. “However, the results of the congressional district investigation could have some bearing on that contest.”
The congressional race investigation appears also to be a factor in contests for Bladen County Commissioner District 3 and the Bladen Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor. Neither of these races have been certified by the state board.
The state board has scheduled an evidentiary hearing for Jan. 11, eight days after Congress will convene for its next session.
The District Court 16B contest between Jack Moody, who works in the Public Defender’s Office, and Vanessa Burton, an assistant prosecutor in the District Attorney’s Office, provided plenty of drama before the District 9 election fraud soap opera began. Initial vote tallies after the Nov. 6 general election showed Moody was the winner, but only by 138 votes. His lead was 77 votes after absentee ballots were counted. Moody’s lead became a 71-vote deficit after provisional, or challenged, ballots were counted on Nov. 15.
But Burton’s margin of victory was below the 1 percent of all votes cast threshold that permits a recount request. Moody requested a recount. After all the votes were counted again Burton, had 15,382 votes to Moody’s 15,315.
In the congressional race, unofficial vote totals show Republican Mark Harris is ahead of Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes. McCready won Robeson County by 17,003 votes to Harris’ 12,543 and Libertarian candidate Jeff Scott’s 757. The GOP has held the district since 1963. Rep. Robert Pittenger, the incumbent, lost to Harris in the primary.
But, now the District 9 election fraud spectacle has caught Pittenger’s attention because politicians and political operatives from both parties are suggesting, and in some cases demanding, a new election is needed. Some are suggesting that if a new election is mandated by the state Elections Board, it should include a new primary.
A new primary would open the door for a new re-election for Pittenger, who lost in the May 8 Republican primary to Harris.
When asked about the possibility of Pittenger running again, spokesman Jamie Bowers said, “Congressman Pittenger says that he’ll make a statement following the evidentiary hearing.”
The hearing is to review evidence regarding claims that absentee ballots in Bladen County went missing and unsealed ballots were illegally handled by collection teams and could have been altered.
Leaders of the state Republican Party say the state Elections Board is too slow to show what evidence it has that supports charges of election fraud.
“The Board of Elections has failed to demonstrate in a timely manner the evidence regarding the allegations concerning the voting irregularities surrounding the Ninth Congressional District. The lack of transparency is concerning for the citizens of Bladen County, the Ninth Congressional District, and the State of North Carolina. The State Board of Elections should produce any evidence they have obtained that would provide proof the alleged voting irregularities would have changed the outcome of the race,” a NCGOP resolution demanding immediate disclosure by the state Elections Board reads in part.
The resolution also demands that the District 9 race be certified if the state Elections Board “is unable to provide evidence the alleged voting irregularities would have changed the outcome of the race.”
The Republican-controlled General Assembly this past week approved legislation mandating that if a new District 9 election is called that it include a new primary. Gov. Roy Cooper has yet to sign the legislation into law or veto it.
