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Scotland County Board of Elections pursuing voter fraud case
[January 10, 2013]

Scotland County Board of Elections pursuing voter fraud case


LAURINBURG, Jan 10, 2013 (The Fayetteville Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Scotland County Board of Elections is pursuing a voter fraud case after a convicted felon cast a vote in the 2012 elections.

The information will be turned over to prosecutors by Friday, said Dell Parker, board director.

Anyone convicted of a felony in North Carolina loses the right to vote, Parker said.

"A person convicted of a felony cannot vote until their rights are restored, they've pulled their time, paid their fines and are off of probation," she said.

The allegedly fraudulent vote was cast during the one-stop early voting period that was held prior to the November elections, Parker said.

"A gentleman, who was convicted of a felony in the past, registered and voted on the same day," she said.

Workers discovered, while researching the man's information, that he was still on probation, Parker said.

"We sent a letter requesting him to appear for a hearing and he did not (appear)," she said.

The names of those who register in the county remain in the board's computer records, but are marked as being in "removed status," Parker said.




That allows workers to easily determine if someone is eligible to vote, she said.


The man's name has not been released.

"By election laws, I cannot release name until the district attorney decides what to do," Parker said.

"We turn over the names to the district attorney and they decide whether or not to press charges." Scotland County has 23,321 registered voters, Parker said.

Staff writer Nancy McCleary can be reached at [email protected] or 486-3568.

___ (c)2013 The Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.) Visit The Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.) at www.fayobserver.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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