The North Carolina State Board of Elections met on Sunday afternoon and accepted the protest filed in Bladen County. The SBE declined to become involved in other protests filed throughout the state.
The protest filed in Bladen County on behalf of McCrae Dowless alleges voter fraud in the Soil and Water District race.
Bladen County Attorney Leslie Johnson of Johnson Law Firm said that when a protest is filed, the board has to hear the protest, call witnesses, review the evidence presented, etc. The hearing is usually conducted in a quasi-judicial format, said Johnson.
“The State Board is going to conduct the hearing themselves,” said Johnson.
Gov. Pat McCrory’s campaign, however, had urged the state to take over jurisdiction of more than 50 protests that have been filed across the state, according to the Raleigh News and Observer.
The protest filed by Dowless, alleges that about 150 absentee ballots were filled out and signed by a small number of individuals.
The Bladen County Board of Elections was scheduled to meet on Friday, Nov. 18, at 11 a.m. for vote canvassing, but that meeting was postponed.
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