Union News

After disputes over a signed litigation agreement concerning absentee ballot rule changes, the two Republican members of North Carolina’s Board of Elections recently resigned.

In separate letters to the State Board of Elections, Ken Raymond and David Black explained their resignation reasons. Both cited misrepresentations on the part of Attorney General Josh Stein regarding the ramifications of signing the settlement.

The settlement, signed by all five board members, three of which are Democrats, among others, provided a new rule for fixing omissions on absentee ballots,  U.S. News and World reported in September. If voters neglected to obtain a witness signature, they may send in a signed affidavit after the fact in place of the witness.

In his resignation letter, Raymond said he was led to believe by attorneys from the Attorney General’s office that refusing to sign the agreement would eliminate the witness requirement rule.

In an interview with Union News, GOP Union County Chairman Allison Powers said Democrats should not try to change the bipartisan laws enacted by the legislature.

“I think people should be angry about these sneak attacks on our election integrity,” she said. 

In discussions over the settlement, Raymond said attorneys from the Attorney General’s office failed to inform them that many concessions were already denied in cases by a federal judge and a state three-judge panel. 

“Additionally, we were led to believe the effective administration of the election itself rested upon a settlement,” Raymond said in his letter. “And if a judicial order were issued as voters cast their ballots, the effective administration of the election would be impossible.”

Raymond signed to keep the one-witness requirement and mitigate the possibility of the election being disrupted, according to his letter.

Black also said, in his letter, he believed the witness rule would remain intact when he signed.

When it became clear what the settlement provided, both said they could not continue serving on the board.

Elections board chair and Democrat Damon Circosta said members received the pros and cons of legal settlements, as reported by U.S. News.

“Legal settlements are never perfect because, by their very nature, they require compromise,” Circosta said as seen in U.S. News.

Following the resignations, NCGOP quickly provided a list of candidates to Gov. Roy Cooper to fill the vacancies as reported by U.S. News. From the list, Cooper has nominated veteran board member Stacy Eggers IV, who served previously, and former state Sen. Tommy Tucker.

Powers said they are excited about the nomination of Tommy Tucker.

“We know that he’s got a lot of experience in legislation and whatnot, so hopefully he’ll bring a bit more of that to the elections board,” she said.

This isn’t the end of the settlement dispute, however.

“You know that’s something that’s going to be discussed in numerous court cases, but obviously they need to follow the laws that we have in place,” Powers said.