Zippyjuan
01-22-2019, 12:32 PM
Yes, there is still one race left from the 2018 elections which has not yet been decided.
A judge in North Carolina ruled on Tuesday that he would not order the executive director of the state elections board to certify Republican Mark Harris as the winner of the disputed US House in the state's 9th congressional district.
During a Tuesday hearing in Raleigh, Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway heard arguments from lawyers of Harris and Democrat Dan McCready about the Republican’s lawsuit which seeks to have him certified as the winner despite an ongoing investigation into alleged elections fraud.
"Certification is not appropriate until the investigation is concluded,” Ridgeway said when delivering his ruling."
Harris leads McCready by 905 votes, but the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) declined to certify the race and has been investigating an alleged absentee ballot fraud scheme.
During the hearing, Ridgeway said that it’s “extremely unusual” for a court to intervene and order certification of an election.
“It’s highly unusual for a court to step in for certification. It’s an extraordinary step to ask a court to do," Ridgeway said.
The NCSBE has been investigating allegations of elections fraud. The board had been ruled unconstitutional and was recently dissolved, which delayed a public evidentiary hearing that was scheduled for Jan. 11.
The new board will be appointed on Jan. 31 and will then likely hold an evidentiary hearing and decide whether to certify those results.
Harris’s attorneys argued that there is a “mandatory timeline” for certification, but also noted that Harris still supports the investigation into fraud claims. But they argued that evidence has not been provided to show that any fraud would have changed the outcome of the election.
Harris’s lawyers also argued that “speculation” about what the U.S. House of Representatives might do should not hold up certification of the race.
House Democrats have suggested that they might investigate claims in the 9th District race.
Senior Deputy Attorney General Amar Majmundar argued that Harris delayed the state elections board’s investigation by not meeting with investigators until after the board dissolved.
Majmundar also said that the evidence shows that the 905-vote margin is in question.
A judge in North Carolina ruled on Tuesday that he would not order the executive director of the state elections board to certify Republican Mark Harris as the winner of the disputed US House in the state's 9th congressional district.
During a Tuesday hearing in Raleigh, Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway heard arguments from lawyers of Harris and Democrat Dan McCready about the Republican’s lawsuit which seeks to have him certified as the winner despite an ongoing investigation into alleged elections fraud.
"Certification is not appropriate until the investigation is concluded,” Ridgeway said when delivering his ruling."
Harris leads McCready by 905 votes, but the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) declined to certify the race and has been investigating an alleged absentee ballot fraud scheme.
During the hearing, Ridgeway said that it’s “extremely unusual” for a court to intervene and order certification of an election.
“It’s highly unusual for a court to step in for certification. It’s an extraordinary step to ask a court to do," Ridgeway said.
The NCSBE has been investigating allegations of elections fraud. The board had been ruled unconstitutional and was recently dissolved, which delayed a public evidentiary hearing that was scheduled for Jan. 11.
The new board will be appointed on Jan. 31 and will then likely hold an evidentiary hearing and decide whether to certify those results.
Harris’s attorneys argued that there is a “mandatory timeline” for certification, but also noted that Harris still supports the investigation into fraud claims. But they argued that evidence has not been provided to show that any fraud would have changed the outcome of the election.
Harris’s lawyers also argued that “speculation” about what the U.S. House of Representatives might do should not hold up certification of the race.
House Democrats have suggested that they might investigate claims in the 9th District race.
Senior Deputy Attorney General Amar Majmundar argued that Harris delayed the state elections board’s investigation by not meeting with investigators until after the board dissolved.
Majmundar also said that the evidence shows that the 905-vote margin is in question.