Cabarrus County board rules on GOP election meddling claim in two legislative primaries

The Cabarrus County Board of Elections on Monday dismissed challenges by two primary candidates who alleged members of the local Republican Party unfairly influenced the outcome.

The board voted 5-0 to dismiss the protest because there was no probable cause or enough evidence presented to determine state election law was violated, election board director Carol Soles told The Charlotte Observer.

House Rep. Kevin Crutchfield and Holly Edwards, who lost close Republican primaries March 5, suggested in separate complaints that members of Cabarrus County GOP encouraged voters to support particular candidates leading up to and on Election Day.

“I filed the protest to defend the voters’ right to a free and fair election,” Crutchfield said in a statement.

He said the election was “directly influenced and altered” by the “deceitful and improper conduct” of his opponent Brian Echevarria and “certain members of the Cabarrus County GOP Executive Committee.”

Echevarria defeated Crutchfield, the incumbent in the House District 82 Republican primary, by 171 votes.

“It is a party thing. I told them to take it to the state party,” Soles said.

Crutchfield and Edwards said they will appeal to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

What Crutchfield and Edwards alleged

Crutchfield claimed in a protest form filed March 19 that Echevarria and others associated with the Cabarrus County Republican Party engaged in misconduct by distributing flyers leading up to the election that featured a sample ballot encouraging voters to consider specific candidates.

Crutchfield suggested “We The People Cabarrus,” a conservative group not officially affiliated with the Republican Party, helped orchestrate the effort against him along with fellow GOP member Jonathan Almond, who ran against Edwards, and Cabarrus County Republican Party chairman Lanny Lancaster.

“The sample ballot gives every impression to a typical voter that it came from the Cabarrus County GOP, or, at a minimum, from an actual organization with the ability to endorse candidates,” he said.

“We The People” representatives did not respond to a Facebook message requesting comment.

The complaint also alleged Almond, who defeated Edwards by 586 votes for the District 73 Republican primary, benefited from the “We The People” sample ballots.

“The individuals who passed them out routinely told voters that the individuals on this sample ballot were officially endorsed by the Cabarrus County GOP,” Crutchfield claimed.

The protest form included statements from voters and Crutchfield campaign workers. One voter alleged being told by election workers that the candidates found on the yellow flyers provided by “We The People” had been endorsed by the Cabarrus County GOP when they were not. Jack Lambert, who ran for Cabarrus County commissioner, claimed he “heard dozens of others” share similar stories during early voting and on Election Day.

“I believe with absolute certainty that it was the intention of those involved to deceive the voting public into thinking the Republican Party of Cabarrus County and the Republican Party of North Carolina had endorsed certain Republicans over others in closely contested primaries,” he said.

When contacted by a Charlotte Observer reporter on Monday, Almond indicated he was aware of the allegations levied against him. However, he did not directly answer questions about the claims. He said he was “focused on November and looking forward to representing the people of District 73.”

Almond will face N.C. Rep. Diamond Staton-Williams, a Democrat, in the general election on Nov. 5.