9th District: Dowless crew handled 1 in 5 absentee votes in Bladen County
Raleigh, N.C. — One out of every five absentee ballots counted in Bladen County in 2018 were handled by people linked to the Republican political operative at the center of an investigation that has stalled the results of a North Carolina congressional election.
That’s according to an analysis by WRAL News, which this month closely examined more than 1,500 signed envelopes from accepted absentee ballots made public by the State Board of Elections in its probe of voting irregularities in the 9th Congressional District. The agency’s investigation has largely focused over the last few months on two southeastern North Carolina counties – Bladen and Robeson – both the subject of scrutiny in previous elections.
People linked to McCrae Dowless signed as witnesses on almost 15 percent of the accepted absentee ballots cast in both Bladen and Robeson counties, WRAL’s analysis shows. Dowless was hired for get-out-the-vote efforts by the campaign of Republican U.S. House candidate Mark Harris, who leads Democratic opponent Dan McCready by 905 votes in unofficial results.
A smaller group that includes members active in the Democratically aligned Bladen County Improvement Association also witnessed about 20 percent of the accepted absentee ballots in that county.
Read more: https://www.wral.com/9th-district-dowless-crew-handled-1-in-5-absentee-votes-in-bladen-county/18193986/