Topline
Mark Meadows was removed from the registered voter list in North Carolina, according to the North Carolina Board of Elections, as the state investigates allegations the former White House chief of staff committed voter fraud by registering to vote at an address he did not reside at during the 2020 election, when former President Donald Trump won the state by 1 percentage point.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows departs after President Donald Trump delivered remarks in … [+]
Key Facts
The Macon County Board of Elections removed Meadows after records indicated he lived in Virginia and voted there in the 2021 election, Pat Gannon, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Board of Elections, said in a statement to Forbes.
Gannon referred Forbes to a state statute that says once a person votes in an election in another state, the person loses residency in North Carolina and will be removed from voter rolls.
Meadows, a former North Carolina congressman, had last voted in the state during the presidential election in 2020, Macon County Board of Elections Director Melanie Thibault told the Asheville Citizen-Times, which first reported the news.
But questions had been raised by the New Yorker, and later the North Carolina Attorney General’s office, over whether Meadows had ever lived at or owned the mobile home located at the address, or whether he had fraudulently used the address ahead of the 2020 election.
Thibault told the Citizen-Times Meadows had been removed from the county’s active voter list on April 11 after the Macon County Board of Elections consulted with the state’s Board of Elections.
A representative for Meadows did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Key Background
Meadows sold his home in Sapphire, North Carolina — which he resided in while he was a congressman — in March 2020 before moving to a condo in Virginia near Washington, D.C. to begin his position at the White House, the New Yorker reports. As Trump’s chief of staff, Meadows regularly voiced false claims that Trump lost the 2020 Election due to widespread voter fraud. In March, the New Yorker reported Meadows had registered to vote at a single-wide mobile home in the mountains of North Carolina in September 2020—about three weeks before the voter registration deadline for the 2020 election. Neighbors and the former owner of the trailer told the New Yorker there is no evidence Meadows purchased or ever lived at the residence, where he voted absentee in the 2020 election. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation launched a probe looking into whether Meadows broke the law when he registered to vote, and voted from, the address listed for the mobile home. Meadows has not commented on the allegations, and a spokesperson for the SBI told local news outlet WRAL the investigation is still ongoing. Voter fraud charges in North Carolina can range from misdemeanors to felonies, according to North Carolina law.
Surprising Fact
Meadows’ wife, Debra Meadows, still has an active voter registration at the trailer’s address in North Carolina, according to the state’s voter search tool. Neighbors told the New Yorker Debra Meadows rented out the mobile home and had been seen staying there for a few nights.
Further Reading
Mark Meadows removed from NC voter roll amid election fraud investigation (The Asheville Citizen-Times)
Why Did Mark Meadows Register to Vote at an Address Where He Did Not Reside? (The New Yorker)
North Carolina investigating Meadows’ voter registration (Associated Press)
Meadows Pushed For ‘Alternate Slate Of Electors’ Following Trump’s Loss, Documents Show (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/annakaplan/2022/04/13/mark-meadows-removed-from-north-carolina-voter-registration-amid-election-fraud-investigation/