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Canadian Man Accused of Illegally Voting in North Carolina Elections for Over 20 Years

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Federal prosecutors have charged a 69-year-old Canadian national with illegally voting in North Carolina elections, alleging that his participation in U.S. elections may stretch back more than two decades.

According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Denis Bouchard, a Canadian citizen who has lived in the U.S. since the 1960s but never obtained American citizenship, is accused of falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen on voter registration applications. Officials say he cast ballots in the 2022 midterm elections and the 2024 presidential election.

Prosecutors believe Bouchard’s involvement goes beyond those two contests, with suspicions that he has voted in local county elections in New Hanover and Pender counties since the early 2000s.

“Every single time a noncitizen casts an illegal vote in North Carolina, it steals and nullifies the vote of an actual citizen,” U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle said in a statement. “If the records are correct, this Canadian citizen appears to have voted in New Hanover and Pender County elections over the past 20 years. We intend to prove his illegal conduct in court and put an end to it.”

The North Carolina Board of Elections is working with federal prosecutors as part of the ongoing investigation.

While cases of noncitizen voting are rare, they remain a flashpoint in debates over election integrity. Last year, Michigan officials charged a Chinese student with casting a ballot in the 2024 election. That case came to light only after the student reportedly contacted his local clerk’s office asking if he could retrieve his ballot; he left the country just before Donald Trump returned to office in January.

In May, the Trump administration expanded the program by integrating SAVE with the Social Security Administration’s records. State and local election officials can now use Social Security numbers to cross-check citizenship status, a move federal authorities say will help ensure only eligible U.S. citizens are able to vote.

Piece of Delta Airplane Wing Plummets Onto Driveway Mid-Flight — and Crew Had No Idea Until They Landed

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. . .A flap from a Delta Airlines plane plummeted from the sky and onto a driveway in North Carolina early Wednesday morning.

The fragment found in a residential Raleigh neighborhood splintered off a Boeing 737 flight from Atlanta to Raleigh-Durham International Airport that had been delayed Tuesday evening due to a thunderstorm in Georgia, according to a spokesperson for Delta.

The flap, which was “evidently separated” from the left wing, didn’t impede the aircraft’s “safe landing” in Raleigh-Durham, the spokesperson wrote.

It landed smack dab in the middle of one unlucky Tar Heel’s driveway, just a few yards away from their car.

Still, the six crew members tending to the 109 customers aboard the flight didn’t realize they’d lost the piece of precious cargo until they landed around 1:15 a.m.

“After the aircraft landed safely, it was observed that a portion of the left wing’s trailing edge flap was not in place. Delta is fully supporting retrieval efforts and will cooperate with investigations as nothing is more important than safety,” the spokesperson wrote. (Read more from “Piece of Delta Airplane Wing Plummets Onto Driveway Mid-Flight — and Crew Had No Idea Until They Landed” HERE)

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DOJ: North Carolina Violated ‘Sacred Trust’ With Faulty Election Rolls

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The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against North Carolina and its elections board on Tuesday over its maintenance of voter rolls.

The Justice Department’s lawsuit says that the North Carolina State Board of Elections violated federal election law and risked the integrity of its voter rolls. Voters in the state were allowed to register without providing identification, such as a driver’s license, in violation of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), according to the suit.

“Defendants have failed to maintain accurate lists in North Carolina’s computerized statewide voter registration in violation of Section 303(a)(5) of HAVA and the sacred trust that the people of the State of North Carolina have put in them to ensure the fairness and integrity of elections for Federal office in the state, necessitating this litigation,” the lawsuit says.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March directing the Justice Department to vigorously enforce federal election laws.

“Above all, elections must be honest and worthy of the public trust. That requires voting methods that produce a voter-verifiable paper record allowing voters to efficiently check their votes to protect against fraud or mistake. Election-integrity standards must be modified accordingly. It is the policy of my Administration to enforce Federal law and to protect the integrity of our election process,” the order states. (Read more from “DOJ: North Carolina Violated ‘Sacred Trust’ With Faulty Election Rolls” HERE)

65K North Carolina Voters Must Prove Identity Or Have Ballots Thrown Out In Supreme Court Race

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An appeals court in North Carolina is requiring more than 65,000 voters in the hotly contested state Supreme Court race to provide proof of identity in order for their votes to be counted. The ruling could potentially swing the outcome of the race in favor of Republican candidate Judge Jefferson Griffin.

The Friday decision was a win for Griffin, who challenged more than 60,000 ballots because the voters had not provided either a driver’s license or the last four digits of a Social Security Number upon registering, as required in North Carolina.

“The post-election protest process preserves the fundamental right to vote in free elections ‘on equal terms,’” the 2-1 majority opinion states. “This right is violated when ‘votes are not accurately counted [because] [unlawful] [ ] ballots are included in the election results.’ … The inclusion of even one unlawful ballot in a vote total dilutes the lawful votes and ‘effectively “disenfranchises”’ lawful voters” (brackets original).

This contest is the last statewide race to be decided in the country from the Nov. 5 election. On election night, Griffin was beating incumbent Democrat Justice Allison Riggs by about 10,000 votes. Over the next nine days, votes started trickling in that eventually swung the total in Riggs’ favor by 734 votes.

The Democrat-run North Carolina State Board of Elections has been trying to fast-track the certification of Riggs in this election, but the state Supreme Court has been blocking its ability to do so since Jan. 7. (Read more from “65K North Carolina Voters Must Prove Identity Or Have Ballots Thrown Out In Supreme Court Race” HERE)

Child Dies In Horrific Sledding Accident

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A child in Guilford County, North Carolina, died Saturday following a sledding accident, officials said.

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) responded to a 911 call for a water rescue around 9:12 a.m., the GCSO said in a news release posted on Facebook. Upon arrival, officials found a child in the water who was immediately transported to a nearby hospital.

The child, whose name or age was not disclosed by authorities, “later succumbed to injuries sustained during the incident,” the sheriff’s office said.

Three civilians and two first responders who helped with the rescue mission were also transported to the hospital for medical examination. Authorities said the preliminary information indicates the incident happened due to a sledding accident.

Several local fire departments and the Guilford County Emergency Services responded to the incident, in addition to the GCSO. (Read more from “Child Dies In Horrific Sledding Accident” HERE)

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North Carolina County Board Knowingly Certified the Votes of Dead Voters

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North Carolina’s Rowan County Board of Elections knowingly certified the votes of seven deceased voters on Tuesday, rejecting a protest to have their ballots removed from the final tally.

The fact that these individuals were dead was not in dispute. Rather, board members ultimately decide that the ballots would count in the 2024 election based on their “interpretation” of the law that governs voter eligibility, Rowan County Elections Director Sharon Main told The Federalist.

The voters in question had cast ballots either during early voting or via absentee voting prior to Election Day but had passed away after casting ballots and before Nov. 5, which could theoretically disqualify their votes. The controversy highlights one of the glaring problems with having a season of voting instead of a single day to hold an election. In recent memory, before elections took place over a period of months, none of the individuals at issue would have been able to vote because they passed away before Election Day.

The board “voted to dismiss the protest because it failed to show substantial evidence that any violation, irregularity, or misconduct sufficient to cast doubt on the results of the election had occurred,” Main explained. “It goes back to the interpretation of the law, because it talks about the eligible voter, and that’s what my board was hinging it on.”

Judge Jefferson Griffin, the Republican candidate for the state Supreme Court race, filed protests alleging multiple voter issues across the state. On election night Griffin was winning by about 10,000 votes, but his lead turned into a deficit in the 9-day period after Election Day in which North Carolina accepts overseas ballots and approves provisional ballots. (Read more from “North Carolina County Board Knowingly Certified the Votes of Dead Voters” HERE)

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Democrats In North Carolina’s Helene Disaster Area Block Emergency Early Voting Locations

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The havoc wrought by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina brought disaster to homes and families, but that has not stopped Democrats from blocking the approval of emergency early voting sites in the heavily Republican area. The refusal to act forced the GOP-led state legislature to intervene.

Democrat-run local elections boards in McDowell and Henderson counties have failed to approve additional early voting sites in the disaster-stricken area, despite increasing calls for more access to voting. Both counties voted for Donald Trump in 2020.

“Ensuring the right to vote is upheld for western NC citizens devastated by Hurricane Helene should be a non-partisan issue,” western North Carolina native Clay McCreary said, according to The Carolina Journal. McReary is North Carolina political director of Restoration of America, an organization that has been advocating for additional voting opportunities in the disaster area. “We simply cannot allow the people of western North Carolina who have lost so much to lose their voice in the political process.”

Meanwhile, Democrats in nearby deep-blue Buncombe County, home to Asheville, have already given the go-ahead for new voting locations to replace the ones damaged by Helene, bringing the county’s total to 10.

Despite being mostly out of the news cycle, destruction in western North Carolina is still extreme, and the area has not yet recovered. (Read more from “Democrats In North Carolina’s Helene Disaster Area Block Emergency Early Voting Locations” HERE)

‘We Will Never Forget About You,’ Trump Assures Storm-Weary Western North Carolina

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Former President Donald J. Trump told a suffering Western North Carolina, “We will never forget about you,” as he pledged that the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene would be met by efforts to make the region “greater and more beautiful than it was before.”

Standing with a huge pile of storm debris in the distance behind him, Trump sought to buoy the spirits of suffering residents, community leaders, and first responders — whose task has turned from search and rescue to recovery of the dead.

“We’re praying for you, and we will not forget about you,” Trump said at a press conference in Swannanoa, North Carolina. “We will never forget about you. We’re going to be working with you for a long time to come to get it back together.”

In his first of three scheduled North Carolina stops on Oct. 21, Trump said he was amazed by the storm devastation as his motorcade made its way from the Asheville Regional Airport in Fletcher, North Carolina.

“That’s quite a scene driving up. You see that kind of destruction, actually incredible to see,” Trump said. “That is incredible. It’s the power of nature. Nothing you can do about it, but you’ve got to get a little bit better crew in to do a better job than has been done by the White House.” (Read more from “‘We Will Never Forget About You,’ Trump Assures Storm-Weary Western North Carolina” HERE)

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FEMA Abandons Devastated NC Town Residents Because They Can’t Drive Around ‘Road Closed’ Sign: ‘Nobody’s Been Bringing in Supplies Except Civilians’

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Residents of a tiny North Carolina town that was almost totally destroyed by Hurricane Helene fending for themselves after FEMA told them that a “road closed” sign is an insurmountable obstacle for the agency to navigate.

“FEMA called me and told me they wanted to inspect my house then called me back to say they couldn’t drive around the ‘road closed’ sign. They weren’t allowed,” local Chelsea Atkins, 38, told The Post.

“You can drive it by car for sure, it’s not that bad, you just have to drive around the ‘road closed sign’. I explained that to them. They said they couldn’t,” she said, recounting her maddening exchange with the embattled federal agency.

Left to fend for themselves, Bat Cave residents banded together — opening the roads and starting the arduous work of cleanup and recovery. Residents told The Post that they don’t need FEMA now — and at this point, they don’t even want the disaster relief agency to come.

While the sick and elderly residents of Bat Cave were airlifted to safety a week ago, those left behind have seen virtually no sign of government agencies, save for a handful of Louisiana State Police troopers “keeping an eye on everything,” who locals say haven’t done much of anything. (Read more from “FEMA Abandons Devastated NC Town Residents Because They Can’t Drive Around ‘Road Closed’ Sign: ‘Nobody’s Been Bringing in Supplies Except Civilians’” HERE)

North Carolina Hurricane Victims Demand Accountability Following Helene’s Devastation

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In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic impact, victims from the hardest-hit areas of western North Carolina are expressing deep frustration and anger at the federal government’s response. Communities such as Asheville, Chimney Rock, Swannanoa, and Biltmore Village have experienced significant destruction, with flash flooding leading to the tragic loss of more than 200 lives.

Residents are struggling to navigate the aftermath, with many questioning the effectiveness and timeliness of the government’s aid efforts. An Asheville woman, standing amid a pile of debris, voiced her despair in an interview with NBC News, stating, “No. No,” when asked if she had any faith in receiving help from the government. “Nobody’s going to help us… I don’t know what we’re going to do,” she added, capturing the sentiment of many in the community.

Jordan Lanning, another resident, articulated his outrage during a Thursday interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters. He criticized the delayed response, noting it took five days for President Biden to visit the affected areas. “He didn’t think we were worth coming down to see us himself. He had to fly over on his way to Raleigh,” Lanning remarked, expressing a feeling of neglect from those in power.

The frustration has been further amplified by Vice President Kamala Harris’s recent announcement of a mere $750 in immediate aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for victims of Hurricane Helene. This decision has sparked nationwide backlash, especially in light of the Biden administration’s simultaneous pledge of $8 billion to support Ukraine. When questioned by Watters whether this amount was sufficient, Lanning responded emphatically, “No, it is not.”

“There are people who have lost everything,” he continued. “I’m not expecting [them] to give us thousands of dollars, but they can do more than that.” His comments resonate with many who feel that the government’s assistance does not reflect the scale of the disaster.

As the clean-up efforts continue and survivors grapple with their losses, the call for accountability from the federal government is growing louder.

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