possible voter fraud in 1st District

Two years ago I ran for this seat in Congress as an idealist. I believed then, that my fellow candidates and I would have a healthy debate about ideas followed by free and fair elections. It greatly disturbed me to hear of the numerous allegations of voter fraud and irregularities throughout the District tied to a political machine then, but I was naÃ¯ve and believed instead that such collusion and corruption was only the stuff of great TV and fiction novels.

First, former Congressman Ballance 's unusual bid and quick withdrawal for re-election. Who knew what, became the question of the day. Judge Butterfield said Ballance contacted all the candidates to inform them of his plans to withdraw. Then the Judge revised that claim to say Ballance informed some of the candidates, including, coincidentally, Butterfield himself. Follow this with a special election process tightly controlled by political insiders as to the nominee and timing of the election. GK Butterfield inherited this political machine; even brazenly stating that former Congressman Ballance's network is his network now. This includes people that helped former Congressman Ballance by stealing public money from the poor and afflicted to ensure their victory over others and me in the last election.

This alone is disheartening and unfair to the voters of this district who have a right to choose their Congressional representative for themselves.

Thursday morning however, the Henderson Daily Dispatch ran a story about continued voting problems in Warren County. There were similar allegations and investigations in the last election. Is it just a coincidence one of the key players in this legacy of voter irregularities is a STAFFER OF FORMER Congressman Ballance and is now on leave of absence in order to work for Judge Butterfield's election? Or, is this an example of Butterfield's self-described network connection?

How bad is it? For example, a man who has been deceased for over six years, born in 1919, registered in 1997, deceased in 1998, is still listed as a active voter and had activity noted on his voter history file in Warren County as late as May, 2004. THERE APPEARS TO BE DEAD MEN TALKING AT THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS IN WARREN COUNTYâ€¦

I intend to win this primary Tuesday despite the Ballance machine's orchestrated effort to elect Judge Butterfield. I was the second place finisher last time. But, if for any reason I am not the nominee, I do not want to be accused of sour grapes if I wait to address these concerns about voting irregularities in this District. I was taught to fix things in my father's hardware store. I am the kind of proactive leader who addresses an issue before it becomes an insurmountable problem. The voters of the 1st Congressional District deserve a political process free of corruption and abuse. Unfortunately that is not the current legacy of the 1st District. How many dead voters are actually participating in our elections process here? Over 100 people have approached me across this District in the last two elections that have reported to me concerns and evidence of what they have witnessed and experienced involving problems and possible wrongdoing in this election process. The answers need to be clearly forthcoming if the voters are to have any confidence in this election.

For this reason, others and I have contacted the Dept. of Justice and the FBI and requested an investigation and full election-day precinct monitoring throughout the 1st District. We are a District with many honest, hard-working people who work at the polls, for the Press, the various Boards of Election's and voters who join me and who I ask for extra due diligence on Election Day. We must all do our part. Please report any and all suspicious activity now to the FBI and my campaign.â€¦

Today, We MUST insist on free, fair and impartial elections on behalf of the good people of the 1st District and put an end to these corrupt practices of political patronageâ€¦. .

( Sam Davis is running against GK Butterfiled, or the Butterfield/Ballance alliance, and Christine Fitch and Daryl Smith in the Democratic Primary. The winner will face Greg Dority or Jerry Williford in the general election.)

(I’m considering faxing and e-mailing this to the FBI this weekend. Should I?)

I will gladly sign a sworn affidavit stating that the following information is true to the best of my knowledge. I appreciate the FBI and the Justice Department looking into sending observers into North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, July 20th. This district is notorious for illegal activity with regard to the elections process, but due to the local political environment and the elusive nature of these crimes, prosecutions and detection has been scarce.

Over the last 12 years, I have witnessed many abuses of law and ethics in the elections of the 1st Congressional District of North Carolina. I have witnessed a bomb threat against a congressional candidate, voting abuses, voting enclosure violations, curbside voting violations, intimidation of campaign poll workers, political patronage, and the involvement of the Nation of Islam in congressional campaigns here. I have also been told of events by others that claim they witnessed other violations that include the registration and voting of mentally disabled senior citizens. It is time for these people to come forward and I hope that this letter will encourage others to contact you with their information.

Although the organizational ties and names of the culprits are hard to identify, it is clear that the political group of concern are politically active subsection of minority Democrats that have ties to Congressman Frank Ballance and are now supporting candidate GK Butterfield. I personally believe that the majority of our election workers and the majority of Democrats in the district are unaware of this smaller group of operatives and their activities. It is my opinion that this group believes that any means necessary are justified to support their political view of racially motivated politics and to protect their financial and employment benefits.

As you are aware, there is a current investigation of Congressman Frank Ballance and many of his core financial supporters. The evidence seems to indicate that hundreds of thousands of tax dollars have been improperly channeled through churches, childcare centers, and political supporters to affect the campaign finances and political success of Frank Ballance and his associates. From the research I’ve seen, there is clear and compelling evidence of a multifaceted criminal financial and political enterprise in the 1st District.

I urgently request that the FBI and any investigating officials keep my identity confidential as supporters of this group have personally threatened me in the past. I also request that you honor the confidentially of anyone that offers to provide you with information on this matter. There are rumors of actual physical violence from this group against their opposition and there is a justified concern for physical well being, job security, and community standing by anyone that talks with you about these issues.

I am an eyewitness to a bomb threat, cash for votes, curbside voting of minority voters that are not disabled, physical intimidation of campaign workers, violations of the campaigning boundaries around polls, violations of the rules involving accompanied voters within the voting enclosure, and other election irregularities.

I have been told stories of massive fraud involving federal and state tax dollars, the utilization of state property and resources, deceased voters participating in elections, operatives that vote many times on election day, the mentally disabled being registered and absentee voting, and more.

My access to other witnesses and information about this group will be compromised if my identity is not held in confidence. I have been employed as an assistant to Frank Ballance and I have served as an elected Democratic Party Official in the 1st District.

It is my sincere hope that the FBI, the US Attorney General, and the Federal Election Commission will take actions to increase the integrity and security of the upcoming election. I also hope that others with information will come forward and work with you on these matters.

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