From the League of Women Voters

Yesterday, the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) unanimously voted to hold a new election for the 9th Congressional district. This decision comes after claims involving absentee voter manipulation arose following the 2018 midterm election. The claims led to an investigation and an eventual request by candidate Mark Harris for a new election.

“The evidence was overwhelming, but the decision was made easier by Mr. Harris’s concession that the election was tainted,” said Janet Hoy, co-President, League of Women Voters of North Carolina. “The League of Women Voters endorses this decision and thanks the Board and their staff for their diligence in fully investigating this issue considering all the other challenges they faced in finalizing elections across the state.”

The investigation centered around alleged suppression and tampering of absentee ballots in North Carolina’s 9th District Congressional race, which was the last undecided contest from the 2018 midterm election.

“This is a fair decision for North Carolinians in the 9th District,” said Karen Bean, co-president of The League of Women Voters of North Carolina. “The League watched this issue very closely from the beginning and will work with the impacted voters and election officials to ensure that future elections are protected from this kind of tampering. Voters must have assurance that their votes are counted and their elections are fair.”