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Disgusted? Try a stronger D-word: Defunded!

Note to the NC Legislature . . .

Hey Gang.

Loved your letter to the SBOE, but y’all need to flex your oversight power and force SBOE to answer the Federal subpoena. We the taxpayers are not going to pay the SBOE to obstruct justice. Feds are digging into corruption and voter fraud in North Carolina’s electoral process. Now is no time to go wobbly. Don;t let them give you the Heisman!

How SBOE treats the Feds…

Background

Last Summer, US Attorney Bobby Higdon in Raleigh, first indicted 18 non-citizens for illegally voting in US elections and a 19th person, a citizen, for facilitating one of the other 18 non-citizen voters. Shortly after announcing the indictments, his office issued subpoenas to the NC Board of Elections for the kinds of evidence we’ve been trying to obtain for years.

One would think that the power of a federal subpoena would finally enable prosecutors to see how corrupt our state’s electoral administration has become over the past six century . . . but alas, those same public servants are treating the Feds just like they treat us at the Voter Integrity Project . . . in September, the State Board of Elections voted to do all they can to quash a DOJ subpoena.

The comprehensive subpoena came just before the elections so Higdon’s team agreed to postpone enforcement until January 2019, but our state election administrators missed the deadline without further explanation. In fairness to the staff at SBOE, they were just following the guidance given by the (subsequently dissolved) oversight board.

Due to a series of unfortunate events, our state had no Board of Elections for the month of January, but that condition was scheduled to change today, with the formation of a new board.

As if to send a shot over the bow, NC Speaker of the House, Timothy Moore issued (almost) a demarche, signed by House Elections and Ethics Law Committee Co-Chairs, Representatives Holly Grange and Destin Hall, calling the SBOE’s behavior “unacceptable” and giving them ten days to respond.

Refusing to cooperate with a federal investigation is unacceptable. With election security dominating the headlines in North Carolina it is critical that federal and state elections officials work with law enforcement to ensure that all North Carolina elections are conducted in a secure fashion.

Here’s our unsolicited advice for Representatives Grange and Hall: Pull a Josh Stein on them and block their legal defense. You might have a chat with Representatives Cleveland and Riddell about cutting their wallets. They head up the Appropriations Committee on General Government, meaning they fund the SBOE.

Let us count the reasons why the SBOE should cooperate with US Attorney Higdon . . . 

  1. None of the subpoenaed information involves how anybody voted.
  2. All of the subpoenaed evidence is public information.
  3. The National Voter Registration Act requires election officials to allow public inspection of this material.
  4. While the general public cannot view any voters’ DOB or photocopy any signatures, this is a criminal investigation! That evidence is critical for prosecution.
  5. The Legislature holds the SBOE by the b– b– by the bank book.
  6. Obstructing justice is not an option!

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Click here to see the Legislature’s letter to the State Board of Elections