GAME ON: State Board Acknowledges Durham Irregularities, Orders Recount

On Wednesday afternoon, the State Board of Elections voted to order a machine recount of 94,000 Durham County votes

The board’s 3-2 vote gave Governor Pat McCrory’s campaign a victory in their effort to expose the voter fraud they believe has propelled Roy Cooper to a lead of more than 10,000 votes in the North Carolina Governor’s race.

The Governor’s team has been lobbying for the Durham recount since election night, when some 90,000 votes suddenly appeared in Durham County around 11:30 P.M., giving Roy Cooper a lead after trailing for the overwhelming majority of the night.

According to the three Republican members of the State Board of Elections, the votes that appeared in Durham County on election night did include irregularities, as McCrory’s team has contended for weeks.

“What harm would it do to scan these votes and count them so that no one campaign is going to think ‘why wouldn’t they count those votes?'” asked board member James Baker.

The McCrory campaign has maintained their intention to drop the request for a statewide recount should the Durham recount yield the same results as election night.

“We are pleased that the State Board of Elections has recognized the voting irregularities in Durham County, and we will respect whatever the results show,” McCrory campaign manager Russell Peck said in a statement. “We ask that this is done immediately.”

Democrats, obviously nervous that voting fraud schemes will be uncovered in Durham County leading to a recount that could expose rampant statewide fraud, pushed back against the board’s decision.

“Roy Cooper’s lead has now grown to over 10,000 votes. Game over. It’s time for Governor McCrory to concede. It’s clear there is no path to victory for Governor McCrory. It’s time for Governor McCrory to accept the election results and respect the will of the voters,” said Trey Nix, Cooper’s campaign manager.

The NC GOP is still preparing for a statewide recount, should the Durham County recount show results different than the current totals.

“Nobody lost today. Everybody won because we are going to be able to put these matters to bed and answer the questions that have been out there for a month,” said NCGOP Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse.