Public Notices

Raleigh — The State Board of Elections wishes to set the record straight after a guest on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Fox News this week spread false information about North Carolina elections. The State Board and some county boards of elections have received inquiries about this since the segment aired on Wednesday.

The guest, Russell Vought, of the Center for Renewing America, told the host that he had documents revealing “there is systemic voter fraud being done in North Carolina at the State Board of Election level and the DMV, to incentivize illegal immigrants voting in the election, which they’re not supposed to do.” He referred to this March 2021 letter from then-Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina G. Norman Acker III.

Vought did not mention that it was the State Board of Elections’ own audit, conducted in 2017, that prompted the investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s office. He also did not mention the State Board of Elections’ response to that letter, sent to Acker three days later. In that letter, State Board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell wrote that a temporary issue with pre-population of the citizenship question on voter registration forms offered at Division of Motor Vehicles’ offices was resolved about five years earlier and affected a small number of registrants. She also explained that the U.S. Attorney’s office had failed to provide any documentation of individuals that it claimed were non-citizens, which meant that the State Board could not remove these voters from the rolls.

Vought’s on-air statements would lead any viewer to believe the issue is ongoing, which it is not. This issue was corrected six years ago. He also suggested that this issue was intentional, which is categorically false.

“It is frustrating and disheartening to all of us who work so hard to conduct accessible, secure, and fair elections that anyone can go on a popular show and spread false information about elections to the American people, without any opportunity for rebuttal or fact-checking,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to respond to most of the mis- and disinformation about elections. We are using this case as an example, as we will with egregious cases in the future. We hope voters will reach out to election officials for accurate and complete information.”

Vought said he received the documents from a sister organization, the American Accountability Foundation. The State Board provided the documents to AAF through a public records request. Also included in the documents sent to AAF was the State Board’s response letter, which Vought did not mention on the show. Again, that response letter disproves Mr. Vought’s claims.
Neither Vought nor Fox News have reached out to the State Board for facts or clarification about this issue.

Pender County Board of Elections wishes to assure our voters that we are aware of misinformation about elections in NC.

We want you to know that We do not use Clarity Elections Suite in Pender nor is it used in any county or the state of North Carolina. NC did use Clarity for election night results reporting, but it was apparently a while ago.

Elections Director Susan Williams began working in elections in 2012 and it was not in use at that time. The State Board currently uses its own software for election night reporting. No vendor is used for election night reporting in NC. Also, Scytl is not in any way involved with NC elections. We are getting that question a lot lately due to the ongoing spread of misinformation online and elsewhere. Scytl has no relationship with the North Carolina State Board of Elections, nor does it have any relationship in the United States with either ES&S or Hart InterCivic, the two voting systems vendors doing business in North Carolina.

The district maps for the upcoming election have been released. The Pender County Board of Elections offers a wide array of informational brochures and exhibits to explain how elections work. Be sure to visit their website or the office on S. Walker St.

2022 Interim Congressional - 11 x 17 Map
SL 2022-2 Senate - 11 x 17 Map
SL 2022-4 House - 11 x 17 Map

The state provided this informational video regarding voting.

BURGAW – Pender County Board of Elections released eight brochures and videos to provide accurate information in the elections process. These helpful brochures cover topics such as candidate information, voter registration, a voter guide, and an elections guide.

“Using new, free animated software, we created a character named ELIN, which stands for Election Information,” Susan Williams, Pender County Board of Elections director. “ELIN covers election law and provides information on various voting methods.”

Two of the eight videos are now available on the county website, pendercountync.gov, at https://pendercountync.gov/boe/documents-base/introduction-to-elin-video/ and https://pendercountync.gov/boe/did-you-know.

The eight brochures are titled: Welcome ELIN Guide, Candidate Guide, MAT Teams Guide (Multi-partisan Assistance Team), Precinct Official Guide, Elections Guide, Voter Guide, and Registration Drive Guide. The Pender County Board of Elections staff created a guide for children that is filled with fun facts about voting and crossword puzzles.

Williams said the easy-to-follow brochures and the ELIN videos were created to make election law easy to understand and to encourage more people to get involved through MATs Teams, work at a polling booth, how to become a precinct official, or how to become a candidate.

“The Board of Elections has the legal and moral responsibility for protecting the will of the people and our democracy as a concept and form of government,” said Williams. “Pender County Board of Elections is the first step in democracy by providing efficient, fair, and open elections. That is our goal in creating these easy-to-follow brochures.”

The brochures can be found at the Board of Elections, 807 S. Walker St., as well as the Central Administration building’s front entrance, the Burgaw and Hampstead branch libraries, the Hampstead Annex, the county’s social services, health department, and at the tourism office in Burgaw.

For more information call the Board of Elections at 910-259-1220.