SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — A text sent to a local that offers them cash if they vote for specific Wilmington City Council Democratic candidates has spawned a State Board of Elections investigation.
In a press conference held with local media Friday morning, the New Hanover County GOP said it became aware of the incident 72 hours ago. According to NHC Republican Party Chair John Hinnant the incident was reported to the election integrity hotline.
“And I’m grateful for that,” Hinnant said. “Voters need to — if they see something, they need to say something.”
North Carolina state law considers it a Class 1 felony for any person in a primary, general or special election to offer, give or accept money, property or anything of value in return for a vote of any elector. The federal law also prohibits vote-buying or accepting payment for voting in federal elections, with fines executed and up to two years imprisonment if found guilty.
The state Republican Party Chair Jason Simmons called the allegations “troubling” in a Friday release; however, he was not available for interviews upon being asked during the press conference.
“An allegation of paying a voter and attempting to buy votes in an election is an affront to our shared values,” Simmons wrote. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to the integrity of honest elections and will continue to work diligently to keep North Carolina elections fair, free, honest, and transparent.”
The redacted text thread, as shared by the GOP Friday, notes:
“Hey [redacted name], Just following up on our conversation at the No Kings Protest. Just a heads up that the Wilmington City Council election is coming up soon. Three Democratic candidates on the ballot are [redacted name #1], [redacted name #2], and [redacted name #3]. You can read about all the candidates and find voting details on the New Hanover County Board of Elections site … Each candidate will pay you 100 dollars for your vote.”
The voter who received the message asked the sender how to obtain payment after casting a ballot, to which the reply was: “After you vote, one of our team members will meet you in her car near your polling place and pay you cash money. We can arrange transportation if needed.”
According to the county GOP, the message was sent to only one voter they know of.
Port City Daily reached out to all four Democratic candidates in the city council race to ask for their input and if they were aware of the text or had any involvement. Cassidy Santaguida, JC Lyle and Clifford Barnett responded by press.
Santaguida told Port City Daily she was at the Senior Resource Center voting site on Oct. 28 when she was approached by a GOP volunteer who showed her a text message from Hinnant about the alleged cash-for-votes scheme.
“I have not seen any evidence to verify the truth of this message, but I alerted the NHCDP Chair of this accusation on Tuesday afternoon and have no further knowledge about it,” Santaguida wrote in an email to Port City Daily. “I have run an honest, transparent campaign focused on issues affecting the residents of Wilmington. I’ll continue to focus on the needs of our city, and I trust that law enforcement and the NCSBE will investigate the legitimacy of these allegations.”
Lyle’s campaign team said they were “wholly unaware” of the text chain as well: “While we support any investigation, we disavow any activity that jeopardizes the integrity and sanctity of the ballot box.”
The Barnett campaign released a statement saying it is committed to fairness in elections and wasn’t involved. However, the majority of the statement focused on Barnett’s relationship with the Democratic Party after not earning its endorsement in a straw poll this year. The party has endorsed Bill Saffo, Chakema Clinton-Quintana, JC Lyle, and Cassidy Santaguida.
Barnett indicated while he was campaigning at the Senior Resource Center during early voting, he was informed by party officials, “despite his status as a sitting Democratic Official, he could not stand under the Party’s tent due to his lack of endorsement and the discomfort of poll workers.”
His statement goes on to explain he was not at the No Kings rally either, rather out of state “fulfilling his ministerial duties.”
No Kings rallies were held June 15 and Oct. 18 in Wilmington, drawing in thousands of protestors against Trump administration policies. The recent event was hosted by Women Organizing for Wilmington, Indivisible Action: SENC, Indivisible Wilmington, the New Hanover National Black Leadership Caucus, SENC Central Labor Council, SENC Women Forward, ILM Action Network, Immigrant Allies Forum, N.C. State AFL-CIO, Brunswick Voices 4 Democracy, Brunswick Indivisible Stepping Forward for Action, and Indivisible Defenders of Democracy.
Payton Alexander, spokesperson for Indivisible Wilmington, denied colluding in the text thread.
“We’re not a partisan organization anyway,” Alexander said. “And is $100 really gonna be what sways it? Like this is just ridiculous on its face.”
The New Hanover Democratic Party also refutes any collaboration in the scheme. The party released a statement regarding the texts, noting it remains committed to “free, fair and secure elections.”
However, Chair Jill Hopman accused the GOP of being sensationalists and fear-mongering for holding the press conference. She claims one “well-known local MAGA activist” received a text message from an anonymous untraceable number, not affiliated with any candidate or party, with nothing to suggest there is widespread action.
Hopman shared texts with Port City Daily between her and Hinnant as well. In it she offered the party’s help to “get to the bottom of it,” suggesting they reply “yes” to the text and show up to see if anyone pays out the $100.
“As you know, our slate is divisive,” Hopman wrote to Hinnant. “I can’t imagine anyone would promote it in such a way. And I do not know any group with money like that to pay voters.”
Hinnant responded “I know,” but also explained 10,000 votes could secure a council seat.
He further detailed the text came from a “robocall-type number,” noting the sender didn’t claim to be the party behind the messaging, which was suspected to be a “Dem Operative Group.”
Later in the text thread with Hopman, Hinnant verifies an “outside extremist” submitted a complaint to the state BOE, identifying the local right-wing activist. Port City Daily will not name the person due to respecting voter anonymity.
“I trust him as far as I can throw him and if I were pissed off, that would be about 10 feet,” Hinnant sent to Hopman.
Port City Daily asked Hinnant about the text; he said he found out who the recipient of the cash-for-votes scheme was after the complaint was filed and verified the person with the North Carolina GOP. Hinnant further explained his trust issues with this particular voter.
“It has to do specifically with that voter working against our candidates,” Hinnant wrote to Port City Daily. “The NC GOP did the redaction to protect everyone and most importantly to protect the integrity of the investigation, which Jill does not seem to care about. Interesting tactic by an attorney — almost seems defensive, if you will.”
Hopman said Friday’s press conference was to deter attention from the bad press recently shone on the state GOP’s communications director, Matt Mercer, for “being caught threatening journalists with retaliation yesterday.”
An Oct. 30 ProPublica article on Paul Newby, North Carolina’s Republican chief justice of the state Supreme Court, states that a reporter attempted to send questions to Newby’s daughter, finance director for the North Carolina GOP. Newby declined multiple interviews and Mercer stepped in.
“I’m sure you’re aware of our connections with the Trump Administration and I’m sure they would be interested in this matter,” Mercer is quoted in the piece. “I would strongly suggest dropping this story.”
Port City Daily asked Mercer if he had a response to Hopman’s accusation, but he did not answer. However, upon being asked whether the cash-for-votes allegation was turned over to law enforcement, he replied:
“To my knowledge a report was not filed, although I cannot say one wasn’t. When we received the information our legal counsel reviewed it and the decision was made to refer it to the N.C. State Board of Elections. My understanding is that others involved may have been made aware of these texts but I can only speak to what we received and what actions NCGOP took.”
Port City Daily asked the New Hanover Sheriff’s Office if a report was filed, but did not receive an answer by press.
The state elections board would not provide much information about the process to verify the phone number, nor how many complaints it receives when it comes to election text fraud, and whether this text went elsewhere.
“We are aware of the complaints about text messages in New Hanover County, but we cannot comment on specific investigations,” public information officer Patrick Gannon wrote in an email. “We take all allegations of voter fraud very seriously.”
Gannon also sent tips for voters this election season when it comes to receiving texts, calling them a common “get out the vote” tool, particularly for political organizations.
“They obtain phone numbers from public or private sources, and then reach out to voters to encourage them to vote. Sometimes their data is incorrect or outdated. For example, a text message may claim that you haven’t voted when, in fact, you voted a day before receiving the text,” he said.
The State BOE suggests:
- Get accurate information about elections from state and county election officials. The State Board’s website is ncsbe.gov.
- If you receive election-related text messages that you believe may be fraudulent, a scam, or provide inaccurate information about how, when or where to vote, please send an email with a screenshot, along with any other pertinent information, to elections.sboe@ncsbe.gov.
- Do not attempt to vote again if you get a text message saying you have not yet voted when you know you have already voted. Groups sending these texts may not be using up-to-date information about your vote. Voting twice in an election is a crime.
- For guidance regarding political texts and robocalls and information about how to file a complaint, see the Federal Communications Commission’s Rules for Political Campaign Calls and Texts.
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