Federal Judge Says Shenanigans at Cooper’s Board of Elections Violate His Previous Order

RALEIGH – Federal Judge William Osteen presided over one of the many lawsuits related to absentee ballot rules in North Carolina. In August, Judge Osteen directed election officials to provide ways for voters to fix absentee ballots that have certain deficiencies and to explain what problems are keeping such deficient ballots from being accepted.

You know what the Judge’s order did NOT do? It did not eliminate the witness requirement.

So when Judge Osteen reviewed the end result of recent sketchy and collusive shenanigans at the N.C. Board of Elections changing absentee ballot rules, he was not pleased.

He’s not pleased because the changes effectively eliminate the witness requirement, and they even cite Judge Osteen’s ruling as a reason for the changes! The judge has now said he “does not find it consistent with this court’s order,” because the new rules “may be reasonably interpreted to eliminate the one-witness requirement.”

“This court finds a status conference is necessary in light of this court’s present concern that alleged compliance with this court’s order is resulting in elimination of a duly-enacted statute requiring a witness to an absentee ballot.” Federal Judge William Osteen

The parties have now been called back for a “status meeting” with Judge Osteen that is expected to happen Friday.

As we face an enormously important election, that will rely on absentee ballots in extraordinary numbers, North Carolina Democrats have now undermined elections even more. Why does Cooper and his Democrat cohorts want to avoid witness requirements so much that they are willing to violate court orders and deceive Republican Board members in order to do so?

Perhaps the Judge will ask that of the attorneys on Friday; because, as N.C. AG Josh Stein has told us before: