The alleged fraud that has clouded the outcome of a congressional election in North Carolina means that the 116th Congress takes their seats under a Democratic majority with at least one seat vacant.
For now, that’s appropriate. The new House Majority Leader, Democrat Steny Hoyer of Maryland, noted that the results of the Nov. 6 election in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District have not been certified because of the ongoing election fraud investigation.
The election was unofficially won by Republican Mark Harris, a Baptist minister, by a narrow margin of 905 votes. Earlier in 2018, Mr. Harris defeated the Republican incumbent.
However, credible allegations of fraud by the Harris campaign have prompted the state elections board to refuse to certify the election, pending an investigation. It happens that the fraud investigation coincides with an unrelated court order to the elections board to be reconstituted because its current formation is unconstitutional.
The result is a confusing welter of conflicting processes that threaten to drown the fraud investigation in a sea of political chicanery and obfuscation.
Democrats see an opportunity to convert yet another GOP House seat to the Democratic side. And they can hardly resist extending as long as possible the rich irony of Republicans benefiting from election fraud after President Trump falsely claiming to have been the victim of illegal voting.
Republicans initially took the stance that they would agree to a new election if fraud was shown, but lately the Republican Party has been sounding obstructionist, referring to the “Kangaroo Court of Elections.”
The election fraud controversy in North Carolina is turning into a circus that will only serve the interests of cynical political operatives.
The most recent developments suggest that an elections board won’t be empaneled until Jan. 31.
Getting to a full and fair accounting of this election with all due urgency is important. But more important is that the process is thorough, transparent, and painstaking. Only if that is the case will the voters of North Carolina and the country have confidence that the state’s congressional delegation wasn’t elected by fraud.
First Published January 7, 2019, 11:00 a.m.
