Note: Since Deborah Dante goes by “Debbie,” we have referred to her as such below.
Debbie Dante Sat On The 2024 Henderson County Board Of Elections. [Henderson County Board of Elections, accessed 7/16/24]
Debbie Dante Was A Republican. [Henderson County Board of Elections Meeting Agenda, 5/14/24]
April 2021: Debbie Dante Changed Her Profile Picture To An Upside-Down American Flag. [Facebook, Debbie Dante, 4/2/21]
After The 2020 Election, Election Deniers Displayed The Inverted Flag To Show “They Believed Mr. Trump’s Lie That The Election Was Stolen.” “But over time, the upside-down American flag became a symbol brandished more often by protesters across the political spectrum to signal that they believed the nation itself was in grave peril. After President Biden won the 2020 election, supporters of former President Donald J. Trump rallied around the inverted flag, displaying it at their homes, on their cars and on social media to show that they believed Mr. Trump’s lie that the election was stolen. Some began doing so before the votes were even counted. Now, the practice has burst into the national conversation after The New York Times reported on Thursday that it had recently obtained images of an upside-down flag flying outside the home in Alexandria, Va., of Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. in January 2021. At the time, the Supreme Court was still contending with whether to hear a 2020 election case.” [New York Times, 5/17/24]
Debbie Dante Voted Against A Motion To Follow State Guidance Allowing Staff To Categorize State Ballots While Allowing The Board Supervision Of Counting. “Stolz made a motion to follow the state’s guidance to allow staff to categorize ballots with an added amendment to allow the board supervision of counting, not tabulating the ballots. The motion passed 3-2, with Rebuck and Deborah Dante voting against. [...] Dante also took issue with appointing a bipartisan team of staff members to duplicate ballots. Ballots are normally duplicated during the absentee meeting.” [Hendersonville Times-News, 9/25/20]
Debbie Dante Agreed With Linda Rebuck’s Opposition To State Guidance With Delegating Ballot Categorization To Staff, Arguing The Guidance Wasn’t Legal Despite Guidance To The Contrary. “Given the high numbers, the state is encouraging county boards to consider ways to streamline the process, like instructing staff to inspect ballots for deficiencies as they come in, sort them into categories and present recommendations to the board. Board member Linda Rebuck expressed a problem with delegating that to staff, saying that a state law contradicts with bypassing the board members’ regular duty to personally view every envelope. ‘I can’t vote for something like that unless we have a judge signing off,’ she said. She said a hearing is scheduled next week. Hebb said that as far as she knows, it’s legal, as it’s in guidance from the state board provided to the county. Rebuck said that guidance is based on a judgment that hasn’t yet been made. Member Debbie Dante confirmed Rebuck’s assessment, saying the consent motion was filed Sept. 22 to challenge a state Board of Elections decision, and any direction that came from the state following that date isn’t accurate.” [Hendersonville Times-News, 9/25/20]