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'{{update|date=February 2019|reason=Further relevant events have taken place, and the results of at least three elections were thrown out.}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2018}} '''Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr.''' (born 1956)<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/20/us/north-carolina-voter-fraud.html</ref><ref>https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/VoterInfo/</ref> is an American political operative from the [[U.S. state|state]] of [[North Carolina]] and convicted felon. He has worked for both Democrats and Republicans. Dowless is at the center of a fraud investigation in the [[2018 North Carolina's 9th congressional district election]]. In February 2019, the state election commission determined that the doubts surrounding the outcome of the election were sufficiently serious that the election results were thrown out and it was planned to hold a new election. ==Biography== In 1990, Dowless was convicted of felony [[perjury]], and in 1992, he was convicted of felony [[insurance fraud]].<ref name=ObserverMurphy>{{cite news |last1=Murphy |first1=Brian |last2=Portillo |first2=Ely |title=At center of voter fraud scandal, a convicted felon and 'grassroots' campaigner |url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article222459875.html |accessdate=29 December 2018 |work=[[The Charlotte Observer]] |date=December 3, 2018}}</ref> He was sentenced to two years in prison for the latter charge, and served six months.<ref name=ObserverMurphy/> Dowless began working in politics in 2006, focusing on [[get out the vote]] efforts. In 2006, he worked for Rex Gore's campaign for [[district attorney]] of [[Bladen County, North Carolina|Bladen County]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article222806255.html |title='The guru of Bladen County' is at the center of NC's election troubles |work=[[The Charlotte Observer]] |date=December 9, 2018 |accessdate=December 14, 2018 |first1=Dan |last1=Kane |first2=Ely |last2=Portillo}}</ref> Over the next couple of years, Dowless was paid thousands of dollars for get out the vote efforts and, at times, campaign manager for eastern North Carolina candidates Wesley Meredith, Al Leonard, Ken Waddell, and William Brisson.<ref name=WSOCBruno>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/man-in-center-of-voter-fraud-investigation-in-nc-district-9-race-has-criminal-past/882190369|title=Election Fraud Investigation: Who is McCrae Dowless, man who appears to be center of 9th District investigation?|last=Bruno|first=Joe|date=December 19, 2018|website=[[WSOC-TV]]|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-16}}</ref> In 2010, he worked for Harold Butch Pope's campaign for district attorney.<ref name=WSOCBruno/> When asked why he chose to work for Harold Butch Pope over incumbent Rex Gore, who he previously worked for in 2006, Dowless said Gore was a “God Damn Snake” and “Lied As Soon As He Helped Him Get Re-Elected ”. In 2014, Dowless worked for Jim McVicker's campaign for sheriff. McVicker won by a small margin, and allegations were made about mishandled [[absentee ballot]]s.<ref>https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/04/politics/north-carolina-house-race-mccrae-dowless-absentee-ballots/index.html</ref> Dowless was first elected to the Bladen County Soil and Water Conservation Board in 2012, and then re-elected in 2016.<ref name="nbcnews">{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/man-center-north-carolina-election-fraud-allegations-has-complicated-past-n945511 |title=Man at the center of North Carolina election fraud allegations has complicated past |website=[[NBC News]] |date=December 8, 2018 |accessdate=December 20, 2018 |first1=Ben |last1=Kamisar |first2=Leigh Ann |last2=Caldwell |first3=Rich |last3=Gardella}}</ref> ==2016 Congressional election== In the [[2016 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina|2016 elections]] for [[U.S. House of Representatives]], Dowless worked for Todd Johnson in the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] [[primary election]]. Johnson finished in third, behind [[incumbent]] [[Robert Pittenger]] and [[Mark Harris (North Carolina politician)|Mark Harris]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article222596020.html |title=Harris McCready election & NC 9th District fraud allegations &#124; News & Observer |publisher=Newsobserver.com |date= |accessdate=December 14, 2018}}</ref> Dowless won reelection to his county board position; after the election, he filed a complaint with the [[North Carolina State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement|North Carolina Board of Elections]] suggesting that his opponents committed fraud with absentee ballots. In turn, two voters filed complaints against Dowless.<ref name=nbcnews/> The board began investigating Dowless.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/19/us/politics/carolina-election-fraud-dowless.html |title=North Carolina Election Contractor Was Investigated for Possible Fraud in 2016 Race - The New York Times |publisher=Nytimes.com |date= |accessdate=December 20, 2018}}</ref> ==2018 Congressional election== After noticing that Johnson won the absentee vote in Bladen County in 2016, Harris had a consulting company hire Dowless to work on his [[2018 North Carolina's 9th congressional district election|2018 campaign]].<ref name=hired/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/14/us/politics/mark-harris-mccrae-dowless-north-carolina.html |title=North Carolina Republican Says He Chose to Hire Controversial Operative - The New York Times |publisher=Nytimes.com |date= |accessdate=December 20, 2018}}</ref> Harris introduced Dowless to a Republican candidate running for [[Charlotte City Council]] in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article222459875.html |title=NC voter fraud case: McCrae Dowless criminal record |publisher=Charlotte Observer |date= |accessdate=December 14, 2018}}</ref> In the 2018 primary election, Harris defeated Pittenger, although doubts have since surfaced regarding Dowless' role in absentee balloting in the primary, in which Harris received 437 of the 456 absentee votes cast in Bladen County.<ref name=WRALBurns>{{cite web |url=https://www.wral.com/mark-harris-consultant-mad-at-gop-bladen-operative-over-questionable-absentee-ballot-effort/18200098/ |title=Mark Harris consultant mad at GOP, Bladen operative over questionable absentee ballot effort |website=[[WRAL-TV|WRAL]] |date=February 18, 2019 |access-date=February 18, 2019 |first=Matthew |last=Burns}}</ref> In the general election against [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] nominee [[Dan McCready]], Harris was the unofficial winner by 905 votes.<ref name=hired>{{cite web|url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article223134435.html |title=Mark Harris hired McCrae Dowless in 9th District |publisher=Charlotte Observer |date=December 10, 2018 |accessdate=December 14, 2018}}</ref> However, the board of elections has refused to certify the results of the election. Dowless is accused of paying workers to illegally collect absentee ballots from voters.<ref name=WSOCBruno/> He is considered a "person of interest" in the investigation over mishandled absentee ballots.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pressrepublican.com/cnhi_network/north-carolina-officials-sought-to-charge-ballot-operative/article_51d7eb78-7d59-5c04-863f-d250ba3cc858.html |title=North Carolina officials sought to charge political operator &#124; Don't Miss This |publisher=pressrepublican.com |date= |accessdate=December 20, 2018}}</ref> On February 4, the newly seated state elections board set an evidentiary hearing to begin on February 18.<ref>[https://www.wral.com/new-nc-elections-board-sets-date-for-9th-district-hearing/18168791/ New NC elections board sets date for 9th District hearing], ''[[WRAL-TV|WRAL]]'', February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019.</ref> On the first day of the evidentiary hearing, state elections director Kim Strach said the evidence would show that "a coordinated, unlawful and substantially resourced absentee ballot scheme operated in the 2018 general election".<ref name=APDalesio>{{cite news |url=https://news.yahoo.com/north-carolina-hold-hearing-undecided-us-house-race-061924260--election.html |title=N Carolina elections head says ballots handled illegally |first=Emery P. |last=Dalesio |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=February 18, 2019 |access-date=February 19, 2019 |website=[[Yahoo News]]}}</ref> Lisa Britt, the daughter of Dowless's ex-wife as well as one of his employees, said Dowless and his associates had collected ballots from voters. She then testified that the ballots were kept at Dowless' home or office for several days or longer, and that operatives would fill in votes on parts or all of some ballots to favor Republican candidates in the election.<ref name=APDalesio/> She also said they had forged some witness signatures and that they had followed the direction of Dowless to take steps to avoid detection, including controlling the color of the pens used for the witness signatures, signing a different person's name as a witness to avoid having the same person as witness to too many ballots, making sure to deliver only no more than nine ballots in each visit to the post office, and making sure to use post offices near where the voters lived.<ref name=APDalesio/><ref name=WRALBurns/> Britt also said she had personally voted despite being on probation for a felony conviction and that she had taken advice from Dowless about how to do that.<ref name=WRALBurns/> Dowless himself was present at the hearing but refused to testify without being granted immunity from prosecution.<ref name=APDalesio/> == 2019 indictment== On February 27, 2019, Dowless was arrested after being indicted by a grand jury. He was charged with multiple counts related to illegal ballot handling and conspiracy in the 2016 and 2018 elections.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/431827-nc-political-operative-indicted-in-connection-with-alleged-ballot-tampering|title=NC political operative indicted in connection with alleged ballot-tampering scheme|last=Greenwood|first=Max|date=2019-02-27|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2019-02-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/criminal-charges-in-undecided-n-carolina-congressional-race-2019-2|title=Republican political operative at the center of the North Carolina ballot fraud scandal indicted on criminal charges|last=Dalesio|first=Emery P.|date=2019-02-27|website=[[Business Insider]]|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2019-02-27}}</ref> An additional four people who worked for him were also charged.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-north-carolina-mcrae-dowless-charged-20190227-story.html|title=Political operative in North Carolina election upended by fraud allegations is arrested, charged|last=Drew|first=Jonathan|last2=Dalesio|first2=Emery P.|date=2019-02-27|website=[[Chicago Tribune]]|language=en-US|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2019-02-27}}</ref> On March 2, 2019, Dowless launched a GoGetFunding Campaign to raise money for his “McCrae Dowless Political Defense Fund”. In the description of the campaign page, Dowless stated he was the victim of a “political witch hunt” and alluded he was innocent. ==References== {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Dowless, McCrae}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Bladen County, North Carolina]] [[Category:American people convicted of fraud]] [[Category:American perjurers]] [[Category:Political campaign staff]] [[Category:1956 births]]'