State Board to hold public hearing into irregularities in 9th Congressional District contest

In a bipartisan decision Friday, the State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement decided to hold a public evidentiary hearing into claims of irregularities and fraudulent activities related to absentee by-mail voting and potentially other matters in the 9^th Congressional District contest. The State Board has not certified results in that race.

The hearing will be held on or before December 21 by the State Board as then-constituted.

The full motion by Board Vice Chair Joshua Malcolm, approved 7-2, was as follows:

I move that, in light of claims of numerous irregularities and concerted fraudulent activities related to absentee by-mail ballots and potentially other matters in Congressional District 9, the State Board hold, as then constituted, an evidentiary hearing on or before December 21 pursuant to its authority under G.S. §§ 163A-1180 and 163A-1181 to assure that the election is determined without taint of fraud or corruption and without irregularities that may have changed the result of an election; and that the Bladen County Board of Elections is hereby directed to withhold issuance of certificates of election in the following contests: Bladen County Commissioner District 3 and Bladen Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor.

A State Board investigation into claims of absentee voting irregularities is ongoing. The Board also did not certify the results for District Court 16B Seat 2 in Robeson County.Audio of the relevant public portions of Friday’s meeting is here.