Judges’ order further complicates investigation over alleged election fraud

A panel of state judges ordered the North Carolina state elections board to disband by Friday, throwing further complications into the investigation over alleged election fraud in a still-contested North Carolina congressional race. It is unclear what the judges’ late Thursday decision—which was part of a long running case that is unrelated to the election-fraud allegations—means to the outcome of the Charlotte-based congressional seat at the center of the controversy. Republicans have been pushing for North Carolina Republican Mark Harris, who appeared to win the race in November, to be seated in Congress. But the incoming Democratic leaders, including Nancy Pelosi of California, who take the majority in the House in six days, have held that Mr. Harris might not be allowed to take his seat if he isn’t certified the winner. Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 House Democrat, on Friday suggested Mr. Harris wouldn’t be seated when the next Congress convenes Jan. 3. “In this instance, the integrity of our democratic process outweighs concerns about the seat being vacant at the start of the new Congress,” Mr. Hoyer told a local television station. With the outcome of North Carolina’s Ninth district still in doubt, Democrats gained a net 40 seats in the November election.

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