Thread by @sistertoldjah

Here's what the Judd Legums of the world, in all their "investigative reporting" about #NC09, won't tell you: That there have been complaints about ballot milling in counties in that district that pre-date 2018, and even 2016. Sit back for a bit let me tell you a story. #ncpol 1/

In the fall of 2010, Wilmington-based WWAY TV station did a series on "GOTV" activities in Bladen County - the county which is in the center of the *current* #NC09 storm. Here's the link to that story, which I'll be quoting from extensively: wwaytv3.com/2010/10/01/man… #ncpol 2/

From that 2010 story: 'We received a number of calls in response to [our series] saying we never mentioned the biggest player of all in the Bladen GOTV arena. It’s called the Bladen County Improvement Association, and it’s been operating for at least 30 years.' #NC09 #ncpol 3/

'The donors to this political action committee include some very high profile politicians, including Sen. Kay Hagan [D], state Sen. R.C. Soles, former state Sen. Tony Rand and DA Rex Gore. But who exactly runs this organization is a mystery to many residents.' #NC09 #ncpol 4/

'...the only thing [resident Benny] Callihan sees this grp do is work to influence the outcome of elections. A copy of a sample ballot committee workers handed out during the last election was already filled out for some of its regular contributors, like Gore [D]' #NC09 #ncpol 5/

Rex Gore, BTW, is a Dem & former DA who was indicted in 2012: "Gore was indicted on felonious conspiracy to obtain property by false pretenses." starnewsonline.com/news/20120820/… He ultimately copped a plea deal to avoid jail time, surrendered law license for 6 months. #NC09 #ncpol 6/

Back to the 2010 WWAY story on the Bladen County Improvement Association (a Dem Party PAC): In some cases, the people in charge of the Bladen County Improvement Association and the people they endorse are one in the same. Neill is the president of the PAC ...' #ncpol #NC09 7/

'While it appears what they’re doing is legal, more & more ppl are starting to question the motives & tactics of the BCIA. Callihan thinks the group ...literally controls who gets elected through a group of 100s of residents who vote exactly the way they’re told.' #ncpol #NC09 8/

Fast fwd to 2012, when an election protest form was filed against members of this Democratic PAC by... another Democrat: 'In 2012, a ... protest was filed by Democrat Robert Brooks, a candidate for the Bladen County Commission in District 1. Brooks’ complaint....' #ncpol #NC09 9/

'...entered on the May 8th [2012 Democratic] primary races & questioned multiple witness signatures on absentee ballots.' These next series of quotes are from my friend @APDillon_, who did fantastic work on this story back in 2016 (link: ladyliberty1885.com/2016/11/17/car…) #ncpol #NC09 10/

'That complaint questions [these signatures]: Carol Graham (21 ballots), Lola Wooten (16 ballots), Horace Munn (5 ballots)'-At the time of the 2012 complaint by Brooks, Munn [D] was the President of the BCIA PAC. Wooten was also named in the 2016 Dowless filing.' #ncpol #NC09 11/

[Me]: You may not think that small number matters, but in county commission races where you don't see the types of large vote numbers you do in bigger races, every vote really does matter. Ppl have literally won by 1 or 2 votes before. Back to the story ... #ncpol #NC09 12/

'The 2012 complaint also described a situation where a person named Leon Johnson was overheard saying he was, “promised wine” for his vote by a man named Mike Cogdell. Johnson was seen leaving a polling place with Cogdell. ' #ncpol #NC09 13/

'Mr. Cogdell currently is a member of the Bladen County Board of Commissioners [and a Democrat]. It is unclear if the woman named Deborah Cogdell mentioned in the 2016 Dowless filing is a relative of Michael Cogdell.' #ncpol #NC09 14/

'Another account... was the report from a man named Tony Jones indicating Lola Wooten had gone to [a rehab center] multiple times to look for absentee ballots and so she could “fill out his ballot for him.” Wooten is also named in the 2016 Dowless complaint.' #ncpol #NC09 14/

More, from @APDillon_: 'The [2012] complaint also contained many ‘irregularities’ in the completion of ballots such as individuals being paid for votes and family members filling out absentee ballots for others without their knowledge.' ladyliberty1885.com/2016/11/17/car… #ncpol #NC09 15/

'Brooks’ protest was not the only one filed in Bladen County during the May 2012 primaries. A second one was filed by Matthew J. Dixon [also a Democrat] who ran for the General Assembly District 22 House seat.' #ncpol #NC09 16/

'The Dixon complaint was eventually dismissed, but just like the current 2016 protest complaint, implicates GOTV efforts funded by the Bladen County Improvement PAC [which is a Democrat PAC] ...' #ncpol #NC09 17/

So if you're following along, you'll see that the 2012 election protests filed against this Democratic PAC in Bladen County were filed by ... 2 other Democrats who were, in a nutshell, alleging ballot milling by the PAC [a PAC which still exists, BTW] #ncpol #NC09 18/

'[Dixon] complaint states [the Democratic PAC runners] would offer sample ballots to voters as an example of how a completed ballot appeared. The names of candidates which had donated to the PAC already had their circle already filled in on these sample ballots.' #ncpol #NC09 19/

'The Dixon filing backs up the Brooks filing on the topic of witnessing of the ABMs & runners filling in ballots for some voters. The Dixon filing states that “In all, 4 people witnessed 54 absentee ballots or 23% of all absentee ballots cast in Bladen County.' #ncpol #NC09 20/

You can read the 2 election protests from 2012 (each filed by Democrats alleging ballot milling & other felonious activity by a Bladen county Democratic PAC operating under the name "Bladen County Improvement Commission") here: nccivitas.org/wp-content/upl… #ncpol #Nc09 21/

What else do we know about the Bladen County Improvement Commission (a Democratic PAC which other Democrats alleged were involved in ballot milling in 2012)? The North Carolina Democratic party is its biggest contributor.

https://twitter.com/BrentWoodcox/status/1070316020504674307

#ncpol #NC09 22/

Now, fast fwd to 2016, in the hotly contested North Carolina governor's race between Roy Cooper (D) and Gov. Pat McCrory (R). McCrory, who was behind by a few thousand votes, was filing election protests in several counties. From WECT's reporting at the time: #ncpol #NC09 23/

'A formal protest has been filed with the Bladen County Board of Elections to challenge several hundred absentee ballots, alleged to be fraudulent, which were cast for Roy Cooper and other Dems in the county, according to Gov Pat McCrory.' #ncpol #NC09 24/ cbs17.com/news/protest-f…

'The initial evidence laid out in the protest suggests a "massive scheme to run an absentee ballot mill involving 100s of ballots, perpetrated by & through the Bladen County Improvement Assoc. PAC," a PAC funded by @NCDemParty & other prominent statewide Dems.' #ncpol #NC09 25/

What happened was the McCrory campaign found out about a protest that was filed by McCrae Dowless (a former Democrat], who ran for a non-partisan office [Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor] and whose protest was filed before Election Day 2016. #ncpol #NC09 26/

Several of the names mentioned in the Dowless protest were also mentioned in the 2012 protests that were filed by the two different Democrats. A copy of the 2016 Dowless filing can be viewed here (via @APDillon_) ladyliberty1885.com/2016/11/15/bla… #ncpol #NC09 27/

'..suspicious write-in votes cast for Democrat Franklin Graham in the race for Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor appear to have "overtly similar" handwriting patterns on the ballots & witness signatures, according to McCrory.' #ncpol #NC09 28/ cbs17.com/news/protest-f…

The Bladen County Improvement PAC, under Democrat Horace Munn's leadership, defended itself: 'On several occasions, Munn said his volunteers manually filled out ballots for voters who requested it, something he explained they've done for years.' #ncpol #NC09 29/

"From what I gather, the people that were voting at home couldn't write in legible Franklin Graham, and so I guess they asked people to assist them and write that name in, so when they wrote that name in they probably did it for multiple people," Munn explained. #ncpol #NC09 30/

Dowless, under questioning from the board of elections, ended up implicating HIMSELF in his own GOTV efforts (now under question), which put then put him more prominently on the BOE's radar. As to the protest he filed... #ncpol #NC09 31/

... against the Democratic PAC that had already had protests filed against it by OTHER DEMOCRATS 4 years prior, by a 3-2 vote, the board of elections dismissed it. Reason why is in the next post. #ncpol #NC09 32/

"....citing a lack of substantial evidence of a violation of election law or other irregularity or misconduct sufficient to cast doubt on the results of the election." ncsbe.gov/press-releases… #ncpol #NC09 33/

...in other words, Dowless didn't have enough evidence (these things are hard to prove). The good thing is a motion passed at that same meeting to 'make available' any & all election information related to election results in Bladen County to the US Attny office. #ncpol NC09 34/

... which means the allegations against the Bladen Democratic PAC at the heart of the 2012 election protests and the 2016 election protest haven't gone away :) See the below report from WWAY filed yesterday: wwaytv3.com/2018/12/04/da-… #ncpol #nc09 35/

What does all of this mean? That concerns over ABM milling have been around for years here in NC, & a number of them have been related to the [alleged] actions secretive [Democrat] Bladen County Improvement Commission. Local Dems have complained about them... #ncpol #NC09 36/

... & alleged activities related to primaries they lost. The GOP complained about them (McCrory, in 2016). When McCrory filed his protest, before the 1st question was asked about his allegations, Dems accused him of trying to "undermine" the governor's election. #ncpol #NC09 37/

McCrory was called a "sore loser" for filing the protest against Bladen County's ABMs. Fast fwd to now, when the Dems seemed to be on the losing end of the #NC09 race, all of a sudden allegations of Bladen ABM milling were "serious" &"must be investigated" per Dems. #Ncpol /38

While they are indeed serious & deserve investigation, the allegations in 2016 against the Bladen Dem PAC were ALSO serious and deserved an investigation. But 2 Dems & 1 Republican on the BOE who is known for siding with Dems voted to dismiss them at the time. #ncpol #NC09 /39

Liberal bloggers like Judd Legum want you to believe there's been this organized statewide GOP conspiracy to mill absentee ballots. There's not. But, in addition to local yokel Dowless - who has worked for Republicans AND Democrats over the last two decades.... #ncpol #NC09 /40

...there HAS been an org at the local level which has been accused by Republicans AND Democrats of absentee ballot milling in #NC09. It's called the Bladen County Improvement Association. It's run by Dems, and its largest contributor was the @NCDemParty. And now... #ncpol /41

... you have, as Paul Harvey would say, "the rest of the story. #ncpol #NC09 42/42/END

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