Voter of Arab descent says NC poll worker asked if she knew the Constitution
A Union County voter of Arab descent said a poll worker at an early voting site asked if she knew the Constitution and the consequences of illegal voting.
“I was shaking,” Waxhaw resident Genevieve Hadid told The Charlotte Observer by phone Saturday morning. “I was so upset.”
As she approached the precinct at Wesley Chapel Fire Department on New Town Road Thursday, Hadid said a precinct worker, an older white woman, asked for her identification.
The worker was on the sidewalk outside the department guiding people where to vote, Hadid said. The worker let every other voter proceed without asking for an identification card, she said.
“Do you know the Constitution?” Hadid said the woman asked her before requesting to see her ID. The woman then asked if Hadid knew it was illegal for noncitizens to vote and if she realized the consequences, she said.
The county Board of Elections hasn’t received a direct complaint from Hadid, Elections Director Kristin Jacumin told the Observer on Saturday.
“We take such allegations seriously,” Jacumin said in a statement. In response to an inquiry from the Observer, she said, “The County Board of Elections contacted officials at the early voting site and they said they were unaware of any such incident.”
“If additional information comes to light, we will review it and take additional steps if necessary,” Jacumin said.
Hadid said she is a 44-year-old Syrian Palestinian Christian mom who’s been a U.S. citizen since the 1990s.
Fed up with both major political parties, she voted for the first time on Thursday, she said. She cast her ballot in the presidential race for environmental health advocate Dr. Jill Stein, she said.
After voting, Hadid said she returned to her car angry and shaken by the encounter with the poll worker.
Back home that day, Hadid contacted Jibril Hough, spokesman for the Islamic Center of Charlotte, even though she is not Muslim. She knew the center’s longstanding efforts to call out and investigate cases of religious and ethnic intimidation.
Hough said he plans to help Hadid file a formal complaint on Sunday with the Union County Board of Elections.
“She needs help with filing the complaint,” he said. ”This is new to her.”
“I feel this is all an effect of the genocide in Gaza that’s been supported by both major parties, coupled with a strong conspiracy theory by Republicans saying that non-U.S. citizens are voting,” Hough said.
“There’s anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim movements thriving in both major political parties, and it’s fueling a very dangerous climate both here and abroad,” he said.
“And this lady isn’t even Muslim,” Hough said. “But she’s Arab and looks the part for those who are fueled by their hate and ignorance.”
Hadid said she’s also endured threats on Instagram, and her 11-year-old son has been called racist names at school.
“This has got to stop,” she said.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
This story was originally published November 3, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Voter of Arab descent says NC poll worker asked if she knew the Constitution."