Early votes were allegedly tallied in a county in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District before Election Day, which would represent a violation of state law.
A precinct worker in Bladen County, N.C., made the allegation in an affidavit released by state Democrats, according to The News & Observer. The worker, Agnes Willis, also alleges that election officials allowed outsiders to view them.
{mosads}“On Saturday, 11/3/18, the last day of early voting, the ‘tape’ showing election results at the one-stop polling site was run after the polls closed, and was viewed by officials at the one-stop site who were not judges. It is my understanding that this was improper,” Willis wrote in an affidavit dated Nov. 29, The New & Observer reported.
The allegations from the precinct worker come as the North Carolina House race between Republican Mark Harris and Democrat Dan McCready is under investigation for possible election fraud.
McCready initially conceded to Harris and said he would not request a recount after being down by about 700 votes in November. But the state elections board chose not to certify the results, citing “claims of irregularities and fraudulent activities related to absentee by-mail voting.”
McCready has since withdrawn his concession.
The News & Observer notes that under North Carolina election law, “if one-stop ballots,” which is what early voting is referred to in the state, “are counted electronically, that count shall commence at the time the polls close.”
Polls closed on the night of Nov. 6 in North Carolina. Early voting concluded on Nov. 3.
The newspaper reports that state documents and the affidavit signed by the precinct worker reveal that standard procedures weren’t followed in Bladen County.
Bladen County’s only early voting location ran a tally report during the day on Nov. 3, according to a document released by the State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement.
Willis was among three witnesses to sign early vote results and certify that the count was completed accurately.
Valeria Peacock McKoy, the interim director of the Bladen County Board of Elections, confirmed to The News & Observer that Willis worked as a precinct worker during the midterm elections.
But McKoy said she was not aware of votes being counted early or being seen by people not permitted to view them.