McCrae Dowless at Bladen County Political Appreciation Day
By Erin Smith
Allegations of election fraud and irregularities in Bladen County took a new twist this week as US Representative Gerald E. Connolly, a Virginia Democrat, is reported to have requested an emergency hearing by the US House regarding the matter.
Connolly is a Vice Ranking Member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. On Wednesday, on his US House page, Rep. Connolly published his letter requesting an emergency hearing regarding the election fraud allegations.
Allegations first surfaced more than one week ago when the NC State Board of Elections and Ethics voted 7-2 not to certify the results of the US House District 9 race which was unofficially won by Republican candidate Mark Harris. In addition, the NC State Board of Elections and Ethics notified the Bladen County Board of Elections and told them not to issue certificates for the races of Bladen County Commissioner District 3 and Bladen County Soil and Water District.
On Friday evening, the Nc State Board of Elections and Ethics Commission stated in a press release that McCrae Dowless Jr. is a person of interest in the investigation.
Allegations have been made that Dowless, who is a member of the Bladen County Soil and Water Board, was paid for Get Out the Vote efforts by candidates Mark Harris and Bladen County Sheriff Jim McVicker.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections and Ethics has begun releasing some documents which show Dowless hand delivered numerous mail-in absentee ballots.
In 2016, Dowless filed a complaint regarding irregularities in that election.
Messages left for Dowless seeking comment by BladenOnline.com were unreturned as of press time.
There has still been no word from the NC State Board of Elections and Ethics Commission regarding a date for the evidentiary hearing to be conducted. On Thursday morning, The Hill reported that Harris’ challenger, Democrat Dan McCready has withdrawn his concession.
In a video statement posted to his Twitter account, McCready had this to say about the allegations:
“Last week we began to learn about shameful criminal activity bankrolled by my opponent to take away North Carolinians right to vote. I didn’t serve overseas in the Marine Corps just to come back home and watch politicians and career criminals attack our Democracy. That is why today, I withdraw my concession to Mark Harris and I call on Mark Harris to tell us exactly what he knew and when he knew it.”
Harris was in Bladen County on Monday for the swearing in ceremonies for local officials. He told BladenOnline.com that as of Monday his campaign has not been contacted by the NC State Boards of Elections and Ethics regarding the allegations.
While the NC State Board of Elections and Ethics has been tight lipped about the investigation, what is known is the investigation is centered around mail-in absentee ballots. Allegations have been swirling about a scheme involving the mail-in absentee ballots.
The NC State Board of Elections and Ethics released some documents this week regarding the investigation. The information released from the NC State Board of Elections and Ethics also shows absentee ballot envelops were seized from the Robeson County Board of Elections as well as Bladen County Board of Elections.
This is not the first time allegations have been made regarding irregularities involving elections in Bladen County. According to WBTW in South Carolina, a criminal investigation has been ongoing by Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation into election issues in Bladen County since January 2017 at the request of Bladen County District Attorney Jon David.
The Bladen County Board of Elections conducted their vote canvass on Friday, November 16th, and certified the results sending them to the NC State Board of Elections and Ethics in Raleigh. No protests or complaints were noted during the local vote canvass. As of Friday, December 7, 2018, no protests or complaints were filed at the Bladen County Board of Elections nor with the North Carolina State Board of Elections and Ethics.
The US House District 9 includes part or all of Bladen, Cumberland, Robeson, Scotland, Rockingham, Richmond, Anson, Union and Mecklenburg counties.
According to unofficial results published on the NC State Board of Elections website, in the US House District 9 race Republican Mark Harris received 139,246 votes, Democrat Dan McCready received 138,341, and Libertarian Jeff Scott received 5,130 votes.
In Bladen County, Harris received 5,413 votes, McCready received 3,856 votes and Scott received 129 votes.
The swearing in ceremony for members of the US House is scheduled for January 3, 2019.
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