THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 27, 1995 TAG: 9510270512
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines
Seven people have been disqualified from voting in the Nov. 7 municipal elections in this Roanoke Island community by the Dare County Board of Elections after irregularities were found in registration forms.
Of the seven, the three-member board determined that two lived in Manns Harbor, two live outside the Manteo corporate limits, and one owns property in the town but actually lives in Virginia.
The other two applicants live within the town limits but failed to file their registration papers within 25 days of the election, as required by law. Charles D. Berry and Glenda Futrell Berry will, however, be eligible to vote in future Manteo elections.
The Board of Elections ruled in separate actions on Oct. 17 and Oct. 20 that there was no willful intent to commit fraud on the part of the individuals.
Under North Carolina law, it is a felony - punishable by up to five years in jail and/or fines - to sign a registration form containing fraudulent or incorrect information.
Public records obtained from the Dare County Board of Elections indicated the following:
Susan Major Tarpley listed her residence as Spinnaker Village in Pirate's Cove with a mailing address in Seaford, Va. Tarpley told election officials that her primary residence was in Virginia, but that since she owned property in Dare County (at Pirate's Cove and in Nags Head) she should be allowed to vote. The board denied that argument.
Lori Annette York and Raymond Joseph York's signatures on their registration forms were deemed not to be the same as those on Department of Motor Vehicles forms completed last May. When contacted by phone, the Yorks told elections officials that they lived in Manns Harbor, and as a result, those applications were thrown out. Raymond York told the board he had signed for both himself and his wife and did not know it was illegal.
Susan Eachus York told the board she had not registered on Oct. 13, and did not live in Pirate's Cove, nor did she and her husband own property there. Her husband, Harvey York, later contacted the board, and said that he had signed his wife's name to the registration form. He also said he had no knowledge that this was illegal. They live on Roanoke Island, outside the Manteo town limits.
However, some candidates on the November ballot are angry and want the board to take a stronger stand.
Dare County Elections Supervisor Lynda Midgett said the irregularities came to light after it was discovered that the registration forms were incomplete.
``The board felt that there was no intent of wrongful doing on the part of the individuals,'' Midgett said.
Despite the decision not to prosecute, Midgett said the board is concerned about the possibility of voter fraud because of more relaxed voting requirements under the National Voter Registration Act, or ``motor voter'' legislation.
In order to streamline state voting procedures, North Carolina's form mirrors the federal system. Under the ``motor voter'' bill, registrants are not required to show identification, nor indicate any past felony convictions.
Also, voters can take as many registration forms as they wish, and if the forms are filled out correctly, there is little election officials can do.
``The problem here is not as bad as it would be in, say, Wake, Mecklenburg, Forsythe, some of the larger counties,'' Midgett said. ``Here everybody knows everybody. But in the big counties, it could be a real problem.''
Under former voting procedures, new voters could obtain only one form from an election official. The new voter's signature was required to be witnessed and attested to by a judge or election official.
The prospect of future problems troubles county election officials.
In minutes of the Oct. 17 meeting, ``The Board expressed great concern over the fact that persons were completing these forms and signing someone else's name. As long as there are no witnesses required, the board felt it will only get worse.''
Candidates' views differed on the voting issue.
``That's not something we have a say on,'' said Bill Buell, Manteo mayor and board of commissioners candidate. ``I feel that there are a lot more important things we have to worry about. It's not our job to determine who's qualified and who's not.''
Another commission candidate, Bebe Burrus Woody, said that given the size of the community, a monitoring process should be in place.
``In a town the size of Manteo, five votes can turn an election,'' she said. ``There should be considerable concern when actions like this take place. I'm not familiar with how the Board of Elections process works. But there should be some kind of monitoring procedure. There should be concern about people who register who are not legitimate residents of the town, no matter who they are.''
Manteo voters will choose a mayor and three commissioners in at-large balloting Nov. 7. by CNB