RALEIGH — An election protest filed out of Bladen County will be heard by the North Carolina Board of Elections on Saturday.

The protest was filed Nov. 15 by McRae Dowless, who won re-election to his position as Bladen County Soil & Water Conservation District supervisor in the Nov. 8 general election.

In the protest, Dowless is alleging voter fraud through “a massive scheme to run an absentee ballot mill involving hundreds of ballots” by the Bladen Improvement Association PAC.” The group is a committee funded by the North Carolina Democratic Party and numerous local and statewide Democrats.

The PAC is also aiding in another election protest by failed Bladen County Board of Commissioners candidate Kenneth Register Jr., but that protest, which was dismissed by the local Board of Elections, wasn’t appealed to the state board in time for Saturday.

The state’s BOE on Saturday will be charged with deciding if Dowless’ protest established probable cause and shows a violation of election law, irregularities and/or misconduct. Should the board decide that probable cause is not proven, they board must dismiss the case; if thety decide probable cause is shown, a full hearing must be scheduled.

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