Congressman Dan Bishop requests video footage from the Anson County Board of Elections several times. He believes the footage will show evidence of unlawful voter assistance during early voting.
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WADESBORO — Since the filing of election incident reports to the Anson County Board of Elections during early voting, Congressman Dan Bishop requested video footage from the Wadesboro polling site.
On Oct. 27 the Congressman posted on his Facebook page about the incidents happening in Wadesboro. He said the “County Board of Elections, US Attorney and local district attorney have ignored or disregarded multiple written complaints filed since 10/20.”
Bishop also published a video of John Montgomery, husband of Register of Deeds candidate Dannie Montgomery, within the same Facebook post. Bishop wrote that the video purports to show Montgomery having “nabbed another voter” with whom he “walks through the no-campaigning buffer zone to enter the voting enclosure.”
The NC State Board of Elections released a press release outlining the guidelines for assisting voters.
“Any voter, regardless of whether they have a disability, may receive assistance from a near relative,” the press release states. “Assistants are prohibited from persuading or inducing any voter to cast a vote in any particular way or to vote for any particular candidate.”
This press release came after about 17 incident reports were filed to the Board of Elections.
Bishop said he wrote a letter on Oct. 27 which outline the pattern of incidents happening in Anson County during early voting. His letter included a public records request of all video footage from inside the polling location.
Neither Sherry Melton, interim Anson County Board of Elections director, or Karen Brinson Bell, state executive director of elections has responded, according to Bishop.
In a letter to both Melton and Bell dated Nov. 1, Bishop wrote he has since learned the Wadesboro polling site has cameras in the buffer zone, parking lot and area outside. He again is requesting this footage as it may reveal “how frequently campaign partisans accosted voters and were allowed into the voting enclosure and voting booth…”
Bishop said he is willing to pay any charges to receive this footage.
The congressman also threatened that if he doesn’t receive the footage by noon on Monday, Nov. 2, he will “commence a civil action…”
The Anson Record sent an emailed request for comment about whether they have received the videos requested to Bishop’s team on the afternoon of Nov. 2. There was no response by press time Monday evening.
Reach Liz O’Connell at 267-467-5613 or at eoconnell@ansonrecord.com.
