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North Carolina requires witnesses to sign ballot papers by mail. Usually, these witnesses are family members or friends.
But a set of 161 postal ballots for the 9th congressional district obtained by CNN on Monday showed that the same nine people each signed at least 10 mail ballots.
Many of these nine people who signed the ballots seem to know each other, as have shown the checks on public records and their social media accounts. Some are also associates of Leslie McCrae Dowless, a long-time North Carolina agent who worked for Mark Harris's campaign, the Republican leading the race with 905 votes.
A CNN review revealed that three witnesses each signed more than 40 ballots, another 30 and 3 others, more than 10 each. The North Carolina Election Act states that only the elector or a close relative may give a vote by mail.
Their signatures on several ballots and connections to Dowless were first published by Judd Legum, the author of the popular news bulletin Popular Information.
Jeffrey Smith, a former friend of Dowless, who rented offices to him, explained that teams of people were working with him.
"He asks workers to go and ask people to write on a sheet of paper for a mail ballot," Smith said in a telephone interview with CNN. "Suppose you live in a residential area under Section 8, they will collect these requests.It says you do not have to leave your home, you can just vote at home."
Smith adds that Dowless then sends people to "harvest" the ballots and sends them to the polling station.
Dowless pleaded guilty to insurance fraud in the early 1990s after taking out a $ 163,000 policy against a dead man, according to court records.
The signatures of the mail ballots are being examined, while election officials in North Carolina are investigating allegations of improper activity, which could eventually lead to new elections.
Harris, a Baptist minister, preceded the former Democrat Marine man and businessman Dan McCready by 905 votes after the vote count.
But last week, the bipartisan party's Elections and Ethics Council delayed certification of the winner after receiving sworn statements from voters alleging that voters were saying that people were safe. They were presented at their doorstep to help fill out and return ballots by correspondence. The Democrats submitted an affidavit from someone who claimed to have heard that Dowless would receive a $ 40,000 bonus if Harris won the race.
Rather than certify the election, the council opened an inquiry and requested a new hearing on December 21 at the latest.
The allegations focus on Bladen County, where the results of votes cast through ballot papers were much more favorable. that the other votes were in both primary and general elections. By eliminating Republican Rep. Robert Pittenger at the elementary level, he collected 437 votes from absentee in Bladen County, against 17 for Pittenger, although no allegation of falsification of ballots occurred. was reported during this race. in Bladen County up to McCready No. 258.
On Twitter last week, Harris said that he was supporting the investigation.
Michael Bitzer, a professor of politics at Catawba College, also pointed out the unusually high percentage of ballots requested, but not returned to Bladen and Robeson counties.
In Bladen, about 40% of the required postal ballots, or 495 ballots, were not returned. In Robeson, about 62%, or 1,180 ballots, were not returned. The two percentages are much higher than the district's non-return rate, which was 24%.
"The investigation must be free from distraction and obstruction attempts so that the truth can be revealed.I will not let myself be used as an instrument of distraction in this investigation," Penry said in a statement. a statement.
On Monday, North Carolina Democrat Party President Wayne Goodwin said the GOP should not "prevent the discovery of the truth."
"These allegations are incredibly serious and, if so, describe a calculated effort to illegally undermine our free elections and tilt the elections in favor of a specific candidate," he said.
Madeleine Ayer of CNN contributed to this report.
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