Request for Expedited Hearing Filed with the State Board of Elections | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Press Release:

Appeal requests the State Board expeditiously call for a recount of the Durham County early vote data tabulated on election night

    Raleigh, N.C.     Today, attorney and registered Durham County voter Thomas Stark filed a formal appeal with the State Board of Elections in relation to the 'malfeasance' in tabulating approximately 90,000 ballots that were reported just before midnight on Election Day. The original complaint reasonably demands the County Board of Elections conduct a recount of the original paper ballots before the county's canvass date. The county denied this request and the Pat McCrory Committee concurs in a call for an expedited appeal of the protest for a full recount of the Durham county early vote ballots. This reasonable request will provide confidence and clarity in the Durham results for the voters of North Carolina. Upon completion of this recount, we can better asses next steps.

    "It was concerning to learn that the Durham County Board decided to not approve attorney Tom Stark's protest to recount the early vote totals from election night. The malfunctions and irregularities in Durham have been extremely troubling to this campaign and the people of North Carolina, and the State Board confirmed several errors. We are now left with no other position but to request the State Board of Elections expeditiously order a full recount of Durham county early vote totals. Once this occurs, we can all move towards a conclusion of this process," said Russell Peck, campaign manager for the Pat McCrory Committee.

    As earlier reported by ABC11, their has been a long history of voting problems in Durham County. In the 2016 general election, electronic errors, glitches and untrained staff caused major problems that received bipartisan scorn. Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens even stated in a recent hearing on the problems, "Durham historically hasn't figured out how to carry out an election properly."

    During the March 15 primary election, the Durham County Board of Elections mishandled roughly 1,900 provisional ballots forcing the state to allow eligible voters to recast their ballots months later. It was also recently reported that the state board of elections turned over their completed investigation to investigators who are now looking into whether crimes were committed in this case, as election officials said the wrong vote count was accurate and some votes may have been counted twice.

    If a Durham recount provides the same results as earlier posted, the McCrory Committee will be prepared to withdraw its statewide recount request in the Governors race.

    To read the appeal, click here.

• Contact: The Pat McCrory Committee
•     media@patmccrory.com