RALEIGH, N.C. – A man has been cleared in an investigation after his Facebook post about committing voter fraud went viral, according to the NC State Board of Elections (SBE).

They say Onslow County resident Robert John Dougherty III said in a sworn statement that he has never committed voter fraud in North Carolina or any other state.

He told Board of Elections investigators that a recent social media post he made in which he claimed to have voted for other people was meant to be a “joke” shared between family and friends and was not true.

He expressed regret that his post has gone viral, stating that he wished to apologize to the State Board of Elections for causing extra work for elections staff, according to the SBE.

Board of Elections investigators say they have reviewed voting records and interviewed several of Mr. Dougherty’s Facebook contacts who were named in the post, and the agency has found no evidence of voter fraud.

The SBE says they received numerous complaints from the public about the post.

“We take very seriously all claims and allegations of voter fraud,” said Kimberly Westbrook Strach, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “Anyone who indicates on social media or elsewhere that they have committed voter fraud or violated any other election law in North Carolina will be investigated, and if substantiated, referred to the appropriate District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.”