ELIZABETHTOWN — Democrats banded together Saturday afternoon at the Rally for Fair Elections.
Representatives from all over the state shared experiences in a loud cry for justice and equality, responding to the still unresolved election in the 9th Congressional District.
The 9th includes the northern part of Bladen County, and extends along the state line roughly from Fayetteville to Charlotte. The lack of certification for the race has left the district without representation in the U.S. House and held up some county races, and it has brought a flood of national attention to Bladen and Robeson counties amid accusations of ballot fraud.
The state Board of Elections is investigating. It has conducted probes before and requested criminal charges be brought on two different occasions by federal and state prosecutors, respectively, since 2016. But no charges were filed.
“We will not stop speaking until our votes are counted in every district, in every county, of District 9,” said Cynthia Wallace, the 9th Congressional District Democratic Party chairwoman.
“We will not be silent any longer,” she said to the crowds gathered in Elizabethtown Middle School.
She encouraged voter protections and pleaded for democracy to be restored.
“We need justice here in District 9,” she said, inviting Bladen County Commissioner Arthur Bullock to the stage.
“We welcome you to our party, and those of you who have just joined as well,” he said. “We welcome you to Bladen County, District 7 and District 9. We are proud to do this.”
The southern part of Bladen County is in District 7, represented by David Rouzer of Four Oaks.
“All of you chose to be a part of this rally because of our mutual passion for a fair election throughout the entire state of North Carolina,” he said. “Your passion has helped us come together as one. This energy will allow us to achieve our individual as well as our group goals. We need you as much as you need us.”
Helen Probst-Mills, a state Senate candidate in 2018, reminded everyone of their right to choose their representatives by voting.
“It’s fundamental to us as a county and fundamental to who we are as a people,” she said. “That right is diminished and infringed upon when unscrupulous individuals perpetuate election fraud and mislead people as seemed to have happened this past November.”
Bladen County resident Linda Baldwin shared her experience dealing with absentee ballots.
“I had a young man come into my home,” she said. “He told me he was a college student and that he was being paid for getting people to fill out absentee voting ballots. I filled them out to assist the young man at getting paid. In fact I filled out one for my two sons, my daughter, and myself. He told me he wanted to take the unsealed ballots with him.”
Investigators are probing whether McCrae Dowless, cited by the Board of Elections as a person of interest, ran a sophisticated operation over multiple election cycles to collect absentee ballots from voters, potentially altering the selections or not turning them in to be counted. Under state law, it is illegal for anyone other than a voter or their immediate family to handle an absentee ballot before it is sealed and mailed.
Also at issue is whether Dowless was working as part of a larger local political machine, including whether he could have had improper help from current or former Bladen County officials. Dowless has worked for Republicans and Democrats; in the 2018 election cycle, he’s tied to the Rev. Mark Harris, a Republican who led Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes after Election Day in the race for the District 9 seat in the U.S. House.
The Rev. Larry Hayes recounted the story of Rosa Parks and the history of sacrifice by a friend of his in the Vietnam War.
“We stand up as one people, under God,” he said. “What made that man get out of that hole, and go forward? He wanted America to be free. He wanted us to stand up and be together.
“If we don’t stand up as one we will destroy each other, by the same measure.”
Participants were given signs and had a chance to show their support during the rally which included Democratic speakers from all over the state.
Bladen County resident Linda Baldwin recounted her experiences with absentee ballots.
The Rev. Larry Hines, chairman of the Bladen County Democratic Party, fired up the crowd during the Saturday afternoon rally.