On the same day Republican State Auditor Les Merritt failed to present any evidence of voter fraud to a state Senate committee, he submitted incomplete documents to the state Board of Elections.

Merritt filed on Tuesday a Statement of Organization that was unsigned and incomplete. That afternoon he presented a state Senate committee with vague and unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in order to delay passage of legislation that would make it easier for people to vote.

Such actions are consistent with a national GOP plan to intimidate low-income and minority voters through false claims of voter fraud and frivolous Election Day challenges.

From his very first election filing in 1999, Merritt has demonstrated a pattern of errors, inaccuracies and insufficient reporting, including:

• Submitting mathematically incorrect documents on a consistent basis.
• Providing insufficient information regarding the employer/occupation of his contributors.
• Providing incorrect information on in-kind contributions.
• Failing to properly itemize canceled checks.
• Failing to submit electronic reports as required by law.

“No wonder Les Merritt wasn’t clear on campaign statutes when he audited the state Board of Elections, said NCDP Chair Jerry Meek. “His incompetence in filing his own campaign reports shows he lacks a basic understanding of election law.”