A group of residents have filed a letter with the State Board of Elections asking to change a process that’s used to dispute the validity of someone’s vote. Dozens of people in North Carolina were accused of illegally voting in the 2016 election — either by being a convicted felon who shouldn’t have voted, by voting in multiple states or by another means. Called an election protest, it can be filed by any registered voter or candidate, and simply must be done in writing with the accuser’s name, address, phone number and signature. It also must state the basis for the challenge. Guilford County had nine allegations of people voting in other states, said Charlie Collicutt, Guilford County Board of Elections director. Those protests were dismissed due to lack of evidence. Another eight protests involved allegations of convicted felons who voted, Collicutt said. Four were found to be valid. The other four were not; they involved people convicted of misdemeanors or who had served their sentences and re-registered to vote.
The board also found five people voted twice, through either voting early or through the mail, as well as on Election Day, Collicutt said. Those cases were forwarded to the State Board of Elections to further investigate.
According to a court order filed in Wake County, county boards can dismiss protests that do not have enough numbers to change the outcome of a county-only election.
Patrick Gannon, spokesman with the N.C. State Board of Elections, was unable to immediately provide a number Friday for how many of the protests were confirmed as valid. “We’re still doing audits, and things are being cross-checked,” he said.
Full Article: Local voters falsely accused of fraud seek changes in election protest process | Elections | greensboro.com.