NC-09: A smoking gun that potentially clears Mark Harris, McCrae Dowless?

 

In the latter part of the 2018 and the early months of 2019,  Democrats and the drive-by media (and some “helpful” Republicans)  regaled us with sordid stories of “vote fraud” by McCrae Dowless and his patron, Republican candidate Mark Harris, in the Ninth District congressional race.

 

We’ve come across some documentation that just might blow a hole in that whole narrative and the argument used to call for a new election.  Here’s a memo (HERE and HERE) from  state board of elections employee Veronica DeGraffenreid  explaining to county elections workers about revisions that need to be made to absentee ballot envelopes.

 

Here’s the key part of the label the state board wanted added to the absentee ballot envelopes:

 

 

“I am providing assistance because a near relative or legal guardian is unavailable to assist the voter.”   Soooooooo — it sounds like, if  a voter asks McCrae Dowless for help in delivering their ballot, everything is A-OKAY as far as the board of elections is concerned. If someone wants that to happen, it looks like they can simply check the second box on this label.    The same information on that label can be found on this “Absentee Application and Certificate.”

 

 

 

Okay, now soak that in before we get into this second part.  The state board also circulated this flier with what looks like really conflicting information.

 

Pay close attention to Item #1 on that flier, which we have blown up for better viewing below:

 

 

Okay.  So, state elections folks have told us in TWO PLACES that it is OK for someone other than  “your near relative or legal guardian” to mail your ballot, and in ONE PLACE that it is not.  SO, which one is RIGHT?

 

The director of the  Union County board of elections apparently had the same question we do.  Here’s her email to the brain trust at the state board.  

 

That email is dated March 29, 2019.  It is our understanding it has yet to gain a response from Raleigh.