The North Carolina State Board of Elections says a Surry County Republican threatened an elections official to gain illegal access to 2020 presidential votes.
A Surry County Republican party leader is under fire for threatening a county elections official in a bid to discredit the 2020 election results in favor of former President Donald Trump.
Reuters’ Nathan Layne reported that William Senter, chair of the Surry County Republican Party, told elections director Michella Huff he would get her fired if she didn’t grant him unlawful access to the county’s voting machines. He was aggressive with her in at least two separate meetings, according to eyewitnesses that spoke with the NC State Board of Elections.
Huff refused. It is illegal for unapproved individuals to gain access to voting machines, and threats on an election officer could constitute a felony. No charges were filed by time of publication.
Senter, who claimed to have the support of the entire board of county commissioners, does not have any official power over Huff’s position. Nor do the commissioners; her job is overseen by the state elections board.
Similar incidents of intimidation have been widespread since the 2020 election, mainly by Trump supporters promoting unsubstantiated claims of election fraud. Read more at Reuters here.
