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CHARLOTTE, NC — Charlotte’s ex-Mayor Patrick Cannon could find himself in federal prison Thursday, sooner than expected.
Cannon violated his bond by casting a ballot for the mid-term election Tuesday.
Β “You would think folks would not want to do that to themselves,” said Mecklenburg County’s Director of Elections Michael Dickerson.
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Dickerson says a fellow voter recognized Cannon illegally casting a vote early on Oct. 30.Β
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“In elections, nothing surprises you anymore,” said Dickerson.
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It did, however, catch Cannon’s probation officers off guard.
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“I was a little surprised when I got the phone call,” said Chief U.S. Probation Officer Greg Forest.Β
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Forest heard about the vote on the news and called Cannon into his office on Wednesday.
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“We addressed the situation and his vote and told him that we’d be going back to court tomorrow,” said Forest.
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Cannon would not answer the door when WCCB Charlotte showed up to give him an opportunity to explain.
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The Board of Elections says his vote could possibly reveal a flawed system that starts with timing.
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office says it hadn’t yet notified the Board of Elections about Cannon’s conviction because it only sends a felon list out quarterly.
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“For the most part, it doesn’t really matter,” said Dickerson. “Keep in mind, too, because we’re only voting twice a year.”
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So how many felons could slip through the cracks?
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“You’re right,” said Dickerson. “First off, remember you’re told as your declared, I guess guilty, that you’re not going to be able to do things, vote, move. So, that should be the case.”
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That wasn’t the case for Cannon.Β
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When it comes to the U.S. Probation Offices, officers monitor 1,700 felons in the Western District. To make sure none of those are voting, they would have to go name by name, county by county, with the election board checking.
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Dickerson says the if the U.S. Attorney’s Office was able to send a felon list more often, it could help. “The burden of that is, how much more work do you want to put on every other office,” said Dickerson.
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office sent WCCB this statement:Β
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“Consistent with the National Voter Registration Act, the U.S. Attorneyβs Office provides quarterly notice of federal convictions to the Chief State Election Officials of the State of North Carolina of each person convicted of a federal felony in the Western District of North Carolina during that quarter (please note we report to the state and not individual jurisdictions).Β
Cannon was sentenced in October and thus, the notice of his felony conviction will be reported in the 4th quarter report.Β Nonetheless, Cannon was represented by counsel, knew he was convicted of a felony, was informed by the court that his conviction included the loss of some previously held rights, and had access to the information on the North Carolina State Board of Elections and Mecklenburg Board of Elections websites regarding the voting laws of North Carolina.”
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Now, local law enforcement adds to the agencies involved with Cannon. The Mecklenburg District Attorney’s Office says detectives are investigating into his vote before deciding whether to file state charges.
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The Board of Elections plans to meet Nov. 14 to discuss whether to throw Cannon’s vote out of the count.
