North Carolina’s Speaker of the House Tim Moore has announced the appointment of State Representatives Holly Grange (R-D20) and Destin Hall (R-D87l) as co-chairs of the North Carolina House Committee on Elections and Ethics Law.
“These two House members have a strong legal background and will be an integral part of how we restore confidence in our elections systems in North Carolina,” state House Speaker Tim Moore said in a statement.
The new co-chairs replace former long-time chair David Lewis (R- D53).
Representative Lewis, having been reappointed, will continue as chairman of the House Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House.
In the statement put out by the Speaker’s office, Grange said the committee will be holding oversight hearings which will look into absentee ballot laws and practices.
“We saw this election cycle and in previous years that there are unacceptable gaps in the integrity and reliability of our elections systems,” Representative Grange said.
“It is our duty as state lawmakers to identify those concerns and address them through oversight and legislation on behalf of our constituents and their confidence in North Carolina’s democratic process,” Grange said.
Representative Hall, who is a practicing attorney from Lenoir, North Carolina, elaborated on Rep. Grange’s remarks, specifically mentioning the ongoing battle over North Carolina’s 9th Congressional district.
“This committee takes on special importance given reports of absentee ballot irregularities in the 9th Congressional District and state House District 103 in Mecklenburg County,” said Representative Hall. “We will ensure state elections officials act expeditiously and thoroughly to conduct a proper investigation and make recommendations that best serve the citizens of North Carolina.”
The statement cited other examples in support of holding hearings such as evidence that a voter “who moved to New York five years ago but successfully requested, received, and cast an absentee ballot in 2018.”
Earlier this month, North Carolina state officials missed the deadline to turn over voter information requested by the federal office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The two federal grand jury subpoenas were issued to the North Carolina State Board of Elections in September 2018. The subpoenas requested five years worth of voter and ballot data from 44 counties.
In addition, the subpoenas also requested eight years of data for voters statewide and eight years of data from the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
The North Carolina Attorney General’s Office confirmed that it was now handling the subpoenas but declined to comment on their status or which attorneys were responsible for them.
“We have been in regular communication with the U.S. Attorney’s office,” Laura Brewer, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Justice, told Battleground State News.
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A.P. Dillon is the North Carolina Bureau Chief for The Tennesee Star and a reporter at Battleground State News. Follow A.P. Dillon on Twitter. Email Tips to [email protected].
Photo “Holly Grange” by Holly Grange. Photo “Destin Hall” by Destin Hall.
