Dan McCready’s attorneys submit new statements in election investigation

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — New information after the state releases new evidence in the elections investigation in Bladen County.

The new evidence was released by the state over the weekend. It consists of several statements gathered over December. There are not only testimonials from voters but key local elections board members and candidates about shady activity they heard or witnessed first hand.

Attorneys for Democratic candidate for Congress Dan McCready, who sits 905 votes behind Republican Mark Harris, submitted the evidence. The board is now privy to nearly 20 affidavits alleging voter fraud and tampering with requests for ballots in Bladen and Robeson counties.

This new evidence carries similar names and statements we saw over the month-long investigations. Now new sworn statements, one being from former Bladen County Board of Elections Vice Chair Jens Lutz who resigned in earlier this month.

“It is my understanding that during prior election years, Board staff allowed Mr. Dowless
to take and copy un redacted absentee ballot request forms, which include social security
numbers, driver’s license numbers” wrote Lutz in his affidavit.

“It is my understanding that Open Records Laws allow citizens to receive information
from County Boards of Election regarding when absentee ballots would be sent to
specific voters,” wrote Lutz. “Mr. Dowless abused this provision in the law by regularly receiving suchinformation from Board staff, allowing Mr. Dowless to send his workers to those voters right after the ballots arrived. Because the race of the voter is included on this report, Mr. Dowless could have used it to target African-American voters.”

“We don’t want no paddy cake justice. We want swift justice,” said former Democratic candidate for Bladen County Sheriff Hakeem Brown.

Voters in the Bladen African-American community demanding answers at a town hall last week.

“I did not request this ballot, there was no reason for me to request an absentee ballot.”

County Democratic Party chair Ben Snyder in his affidavit paraphrased a conversation elections board chair Bobby Ludlum overheard between McCrae Dowless and outgoing elections Director Cynthia Shaw.

“While the exact language of each party is not certain,” Snyder wrote going on to say, “I understand the substance of this conversation was generally as follows:
Dowless: ‘Well, I have added a new trick’
Shaw: ‘What is it?’
Dowless: “I am throwing ballots into the trash.'”

Shaw told WWAY’s Andrew James earlier in the month she would not comment on the investigation and said it had nothing to do with her leaving office. We reached out to Dowless’ attorney who has not returned my request for comment.

The state reached out to Dowless requesting he conduct an in person interview with their legal team on or by January 2, 2019. Dowless’ attorney Cynthia Singletary replied to the state’s general counsel Josh Lawson saying Dowless declined to take part in the interview.