https://www.npr.org/2019/02/21/6965...t-out-operative-accused-of-illegal-ballot-sch
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North Carolina elections board votes for new election in congressional race
https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/21/politics/mark-harris-son-north-carolina-9th-district-hearing/
After months of insisting he knew of no illegal activity being done on behalf of his campaign, Republican Mark Harris, who leads the race for North Carolina's 9th congressional district, called Thursday for the State Board of Elections to hold a new election.
"Through the testimony I've listened to over the past three days I believe a new election should be called. It's become clear to me that the public's confidence in the 9th District seat general election has been undermined to an extent that a new election is warranted," said Harris.
It was a dramatic and humbling reversal for Harris, a pastor who until now has insisted that the board of elections should certify his 905 vote lead in the unofficial tally so that he can go off to Congress.
Four days of hearings had left that position increasingly untenable as witnesses detailed how an operative hired by Harris illegally handled absentee ballots, a felony in North Carolina. One witness said she filled in unmarked sections of ballots. Harris' own son testified on Wednesday that he had warned his father that the operative's tactics were likely illegal.
An email first released to the public on Thursday shows that Harris requested to the operative, McRae Dowless, in March 2017 after losing a primary election in which one of his opponents had hired Dowless.
The disclosure by the Harris campaign frustrated investigators, who were presented with the evidence only on Wednesday, despite a subpoena from the North Carolina State Board of Elections for the relevant documents months ago.
Although Harris has now called for a new election, the board will have to decide whether to actually call one. After Election Day, Harris held a 905-vote lead over Democrat Dan McCready in the unofficial ballot tally. The board declined to certify those results pending its investigation into an absentee ballot scheme that investigators have been unspooling for months.
The investigation focuses on Dowless, who was hired by Harris to run get-out-the-vote efforts in Bladen and Robeson counties. Dowless was also investigated in 2016 for his tactics, which a number of witnesses have testified included illegally collecting absentee ballots and filling out some of those ballots.
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North Carolina elections board votes for new election in congressional race
https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/21/politics/mark-harris-son-north-carolina-9th-district-hearing/
The North Carolina Board of Elections voted unanimously on Thursday in favor of holding a new election in Congressional District 9 after an investigation into election irregularities.
Mark Harris, the Republican leading in the contested 9th District race, said Thursday a new election should be called. He told a state board Thursday he does not condone the activities that have come to light after testimony this week and he feels that the public's confidence in the process is shaken.
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