Report: Granville County worker changed voter registration records
GRANVILLE COUNTY, North Carolina (WTVD) -- A Henderson woman temporarily working for the Granville County Board of Elections before the 2016 presidential election is accused of changing voter registration records so hundreds of convicted felons could cast their ballots.
The Board confirmed Wednesday that Joy Yvette Wilkerson, 41, was screened and hired in late 2015. In June 2016, Granville County Elections Director Tonya Burnette determined that Wilkerson had changed voter registration records.
According to an arrest report, Wilkerson had accessed and removed a voter registration record associated with a convicted felon and had restored that person's voter registration to active status without authorization or documentation.
Burnette investigated and found Wilkerson had restored (or was in the process of restoring) approximately 250 convicted felons to active status.
Burnette notified the State Board of Elections, which then investigated the claim and sent a full report to the district attorney's office for possible prosecution.
Both the Granville and the State BOE ensured Wilkerson's changes were corrected before the general election.
Wilkerson was taken into custody in Henderson on Monday. At the Granville County Sheriff's Office, Wilkerson was charged with unlawful voter registration fraud and given a $14,000 secured bond.
"We thank law enforcement for their efforts in this important matter. Incidents like these prove that attempts to encourage illegal voting, violate the law, and manipulate our voting process do exist and must be countered with strong voter fraud protections," said NCGOP Chairman Robin Hayes in a statement.
