HOW MCCRORY TRIED TO FRAME
BLACK BLADEN PAC WITH 2016 LOSS
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
As the state, indeed, the nation, awaits the final conclusions involving alleged election fraud in Bladen County from the NC Board of Elections (whose hearing is now scheduled for Jan. 11th), the Wake County District Attorney’s Office the State Bureau of Investigation, and now even, reportedly, the Federal Bureau of Investigation; a group of local African-American residents known as the Bladen Improvement Association (BIA), a political action committee (PAC), is relieved that they are not in the crosshairs of yet another probe into their proven lawful electoral activities.
But they know full well what it feels like to be investigated and falsely accused just because they’re black, help voters with their ballots, and have historically endorsed mostly Democrats.
It was just two years ago when then first-term Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, having lost his bid for re-election in a close race to Democratic challenger and then-State Atty. Gen. Roy Cooper, falsely alleged that voter “malfeasance” and “irregularities” caused his defeat in several counties across the state, including Bladen.
McCrory and his attorneys, along with the NC Republican Party, contended that thousands of votes in over 50 counties statewide were in question; charged that Democrats were responsible; and that “felons,” people who also voted in other states, and even “dead” people, were allowed to illegally cast ballots. His goal was either to win the race outright, or meet a legal threshold so that the Republican-led NC General Assembly would then, by law, choose the “winner” of the gubernatorial election – which McCrory assumed would be him.
Two factors cast doubt on McCrory’s claims – Donald Trump and other GOP’ers won throughout North Carolina; and all of the county election boards which certified his race were led by Republicans.
But that didn’t stop conservative media, like Red State.com, from taking up McCrory’s “voter fraud” crusade.
“Did somebody say Democrat corruption?” bellowed the first line in its Nov. 15, 2016 commentary.
After noting that a complaint had been filed with the local Bladen County Board of Elections, “…in response to several hundred fraudulent absentee ballots, all voting a straight Democrat ticket…” it went on to allege, “The filed complaint described the situation as an “absentee ballot mill,” and it was perpetuated by the Bladen Improvement Association PAC (BIA), which is funded by the North Carolina Democrat Party.”
And exactly who filed that complaint? None other than Leslie McCrae Dowless, the very same “person of interest” at the center of the current allegations involving illegal absentee ballot harvesting in the Mark Harris – Dan McCready Ninth Congressional District election fiasco.
Dowless, who Republican Harris admits to knowing and hiring, is alleged to have coordinated and managed an operation during both the GOP primary last May, and the November 2018 mid-term elections, where people who worked for him illegally collected, or even changed the votes on unsealed absentee ballots distributed throughout Bladen County, ultimately delivering a 905-vote victory for Harris.
But in 2016, it was Dowless who was claiming to be the victim of illegal absentee ballot shenanigans in his race for local Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor.
Lawyers for the McCrory campaign latched on to Dowless’ Bladen election complaint, alleging that it was indicative of what was happening across the state. “The staggering evidence of voter fraud in Bladen County and the number of similar(read black) PACs that the North Carolina Democratic Party donated to shortly before the start of early vote requires close examination throughout the state.”
Dowless, a convicted felon, alleged that the absentee ballots had the witness signatures of paid BIA members. Red State.com called this “shocking evidence.”
The state Board of Elections (NCBOE) investigated, and found that nothing the BIA did was illegal. The witness signatures (two are required) were done at the time the voter signed their ballot, and the BIA canvassers also did GOTV (get out the vote). Indeed, their names were reported to the local and state BOE by BIA. There was nothing illegal about what they did, or BIA getting contributions from the state Democratic Party, or various Democratic candidates or elected officials to operate.
In the end, not one absentee ballot the BIA worked with was deemed illegal, and Cooper ultimately defeated McCrory statewide after a recount by over 10,000 votes, weeks later.
“The procedures, the methodology used by the (BIA) did not violate state law,” Atty. Joyner maintained the NCBOE ruled. “They had been trained by the state board, and did it the right way.”
Burned by the experience, the BIA, and its attorney Joyner, braced for more false allegations this year, and decided not to engage in any absentee ballot activity for the 2018 midterm elections.
It is most likely now, given what is known about allegations pointing towards Dowless and Harris, that the Bladen Improvement Association will not be targeted this time.
But if so, BIA and atty. Joyner stand at the ready.
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REV. BARBER BLAST VOTER ID LAW
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
Rev. Dr. William Barber, president of Repairers of the Breach, and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call to Revival, blasted the Republican-led NC legislature Monday for using the recently called special session primarily to pass a new voter photo ID law, instead of addressing the urgent needs of those suffering in the aftermath of September’s Hurricane Florence.
“We call a special session in the season of Thanksgiving, Christmas and Advent, and this legislature could have taken that time to address the needs of poor people and sick people throughout North Carolina,” Rev. Barber said. Noting that at least one million people in North Carolina do not have health insurance, Barber chided state lawmakers for not using the special session time to extend Medicare to the poor – many of whom live in the flood ravaged counties affected by Hurricane Florence.
The NC General Assembly did pass an initial $850 million hurricane recovery package in October, $450 million of which could be spent right away for construction, rebuilding damaged schools, or help some rebuild their homes.
Still, critics say the amount was not enough to help the many victims still dealing with the aftereffects of 2016 Hurricane Matthew.
“Thousands of people in those areas could benefit from a raise in the minimum wage, and a living wage, that would really help them recover. Did this legislature choose to hear their cries? No!” Rev. Barber roared.
The former president of the NC NAACP charged that lawmakers chose to “…focus on an unnecessary photo ID bill, rather than deal with the real issues that are impacting North Carolinians.”
Barber continued that there are currently lawsuits filed challenging how the voter ID, and other proposed amendments to the state constitution were placed on the referendum ballot . He also announced that the Poor People’s Campaign in supporting a NCNAACP lawsuit against how the legislature passed the laws calling for the “unconstitutional” amendments, challenging “the whole process in the first place.”
Rev. Barber also announced that the Poor People’s Campaign is working on a “major, major ” statewide bus tour, and a “major poor people’s march on the state Capitol in the spring of 2019.
“We are not going to be silent,” Barber vowed. “And we’re not going to stop fighting for the 4.7 million poor people in this state, and the over one million people who do not have health care.”
To the press, Rev. Barber said the “story” isn’t that the legislature overrode Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto.
“The story is they called this legislature back into session, it’s an unconstitutionally constituted legislature, and instead of all of the good things they could have done, to help the hurting, the broken and the poor people of this state, they chose to act contrary to our deepest moral values, and contrary to the season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, and contrary to our own [state] Constitution, that says “…the first duty …of a civilized and Christian state, is to provide beneficent provisions for the poor, the orphaned and the unfortunate,” Rev. Barber said.
“This legislature …is out of order,” Barber concluded, “… and we have to continue to fight!”
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STATE NEWS BRIEFS FOR 12-20-18
STATE SENATE OVERRIDES GOV. COOPER’S VETO ON VOTER ID LAW
[RALEIGH] Using the last days of its supermajority, the NC Senate voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of the new voter photo ID law that passed the Republican-led legislature last week. Cooper blasted the law, say that it was a “solution in search of a problem,” but lawmakers countered that they had no choice but to pass it since voters ratified the voter ID amendment to the state Constitution during the midterm elections. The state House, at press time Tuesday, hadn’t voted to override yet, but that is expected by the end of the week.
BLADEN COUNTY RESIDENTS EXPRESS CONCERNS ABOUT BALLOT CONTROVERSY AT TOWN HALL MEETING
[BLADENSBORO]Anger and frustration were on full display during a town hall meeting at First Baptist Church in Bladensboro Tuesday as residents came together, not only to listen to leaders like Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman of the NC NAACP commit to finding out the truth behind allegations that absentee ballots were illegally manipulated during the 2018 midterm election between 9thDistrict Congressional candidates Mark Harris an Dan McCready. Several residents spoke of people coming to their homes and taking their unsealed ballots, even though that is illegal under North Carolina law. The stat Board of Elections has called for a hearing on the matter for Jan. 11th.
WAKE SHERIFF RELEASES 19 UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS
[RALEIGH] The new sheriff of Wake County, Gerald Baker, has kept one of his campaign promises. Vowing, if elected, that his department would no longer work with agents of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in holding undocumented immigrants for possible deportation, Sheriff Baker released sixteen detainees from the county jail after they’d either served their term, or posted bond. Another 79 are being held for state charges, but Baker says they will soon be let go as well. Sheriff Baker is one of the newly elected sheriffs across the state who promised to no longer hold detainees for ICE.
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