Democratic leader claims misconduct at polling site
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on October 25, 2016 9:57 AM
A state Democratic leader claims she was asked to leave the Wayne County Board of Elections early voting site after being confronted by the director.
Linda Wilkins-Daniels, president of the African-American Caucus of the state Democratic Party, said she visited the early voting site Saturday to help an elderly voter and another man who was trying to update his voter information.
As she entered, the man walked off but later asked for help.
Dane Beavers, Wayne County Board of Elections director, said Wilkins-Daniels started "wandering around the polling place to assist other people. And that's not allowed."
Wilkins-Daniels said she was actually called over by the man to help during the voting process. She also said a poll worker was aware that the man asked for help but did not speak up.
"That poll worker could have cleared it up," Wilkins-Daniels said. "I know you can only assist one person at a time. I wouldn't just arbitrarily run around the poll site."
As she was walking across the room, Beavers stopped her and told her to leave, Wilkins-Daniels said.
"It just startled me," she said. "I couldn't believe he was talking to me like that. He said, 'I know who you are. You're a troublemaker.'
"The man came at me with an attitude. He said, 'Get out, you already voted.' I told him I was going to stay here until I was done."
Anne Risku-Smith, deputy director at the Wayne County Board of Elections, said Beavers used an authoritative tone with Wilkins-Daniels.
"Dane asked her very authoritatively but nicely that she can't be wandering around the polling place asking random people to be helped, if they needed help," Risku-Smith said. "He made it known he was in charge of the polling place, professionally but authoritatively."
Beavers said he did not attempt to throw her out of the polling place. He also said his job is to ensure state and federal laws are followed during the voting process.
"We have to control the environment where people are voting because, otherwise, people would be hovering over you while you're voting, so you just won't wander around the polling place," Beavers said.
State and federal law allows voters the ability to select a person of their choice to help during the voting process, according to the State Board of Elections.
Jessie Exkano said she asked Wilkins-Daniels to take her to the early voting site, since she was new to Wayne County. She said she was surprised after watching the confrontation.
"He talked so ugly," Exkano said. "He was just terrible, and he hollered at someone else there. He told her, 'Don't you come up in here again.' She wasn't doing nothing out of order, and he told her to get out."
Wilkins-Daniels called the Democracy North Carolina election protection hotline after her Saturday visit.
Bob Hall, executive director of Democracy North Carolina, called Beavers, left a message and the two talked on Sunday.
"The part that was disturbing is that she was told not to come back," Hall said. "He called her a troublemaker, and said, 'Yeah, I told her not to come back.'"
Democracy North Carolina is a nonpartisan advocacy group that works to protect voters rights, in line with state and federal laws, and focuses on increasing voter participation.
Hall said he was concerned about the possibility that Wilkins-Daniels right to assist a voter had been violated.
"We want voters to have access to their right to vote, and we want the laws applied," Hall said.
Wilkins-Daniels is not barred from entering the polling site to assist voters, Beavers said. Hall said he believes the issue has been resolved.
"We felt like there was an understanding from both Mr. Beavers and Ms. Wilkins-Daniels," Hall said.
Beavers said he has had earlier problems with Wilkins-Daniels and said she was asked to leave a voting site in March, during the primary election, and in June during the special election. She said that is not true.
"That is an outright lie," Wilkins-Daniels said. "Nobody asked me to leave. If he told me to leave, then that's voter intimidation. The only reason I go there is to assist people."