03/29/2024
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The Bladen County Board of Elections conducted its vote canvass on Friday morning, starting at 11 a.m. for the Primary Election. Although the canvass was purely administration as described by one board member, the board’s competency and emails are still being questioned.

Republican Ken Register Jr., a candidate for County Commissioner for District 3, requested a recount last week. According to the election results after the election on March 3, District 3 Republican Candidate Danny L. Ellis II received 443. Register trailed behind Ellis on the Republican ticket for District 3 by a total of 13 votes. Register’s total votes tallied up to 430.

Candidate Ken Register at a previous election meeting in 2016.

Register said he requested a recount in his contest and was denied a recount by the local board of elections. Bladen County Board of Elections Director Christopher Williams explained the board would not allow a recount in a contest when the total votes differed more than 1%. The difference in the District 3 contest was a 1.7% difference.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections informed Register the discretionary recount would be a local board decision. Register offered to fund or refund the county for the time and expense the recount would cost. However, today the Bladen County Board of Elections voted unanimously not to hold a recount for District 3.

“If they felt like they were competent, they should have no problem doing the recount,” Register stated.

Today, Attorney Allen Johnson, with Johnson & Johnson Attorneys at Law, P.L.L.C., confirmed the request from Bladen County Democratic Chairperson, Larry Hayes, for the two Republican Bladen County Board of Elections members’ emails had been fulfilled. Bladen County Democratic Chairperson, Larry Hayes requested the emails of the two Republican Bladen County Board of Elections members, Emery White and Michael Aycock, in reference to N. Carolina General Statue 132-6(a) in January 2020.

Bladen County Democratic Chairman, Larry Hayes

The Public Records Request (P.R.R.) submitted by Chairman Hayes asked for emails from January 1, 2019, until “present,” referencing the Aycock and White’s personal email addresses.

According to Attorney Allen Johnson with Johnson & Johnson Attorneys at Law, P.L.L.C., if the personal email was made or received in connection to the transaction of public business between the Board of Elections and that sitting board member, then those personal emails are subject to the P.R.R.

Board of Elections member Emery White said he does not use emails so there was nothing for the chairperson to receive. The emails for Aycock, which fall in the parameters of the request, were mailed to Chairperson Hayes this week, according to Attorney Johnson.

Board of Elections member Michael Aycock said, “There is nothing to see in my emails.”

BladenOnline.com reached out to Chairperson Hayes in February and then again before this article was published. No comment has been received from Chairperson Hayes.

The State Board of Elections announced today they would hold a telephonic meeting beginning at noon on Friday, March 20, 2020. Members of the public may also listen to proceedings on Facebook or by dialing (562) 247-8321 and entering code: 647-605-785.

Public meeting materials will be posted on a rolling basis to the online meeting portal.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections also released a statement on COVID-19 Response today.

Raleigh, N.C. – Throughout the duration of the COVID-19 threat, the State Board of Elections is planning for all employees to continue working – either in the office or remotely – to prepare for important, upcoming elections. Many State Board employees are signing agreements to work from home as this situation develops.

The State Board office is monitoring developments related to COVID-19 and communicating regularly with federal and state partners. We are committed to providing safe and accessible elections for North Carolina voters.

The State Board has made an emergency amendment to an administrative rule, clarifying that the executive director may take emergency actions if necessary to conduct elections when a disease epidemic or other public health incident “makes it impossible or extremely hazardous for elections officials or voters to reach or otherwise access the voting place or that creates a significant risk of physical harm to persons in the voting place, or that would otherwise convince a reasonable person to avoid traveling to or being in a voting place.”

The rule will be published on March 20: 

https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Requests/08%20NCAC%2001%20.0106%20Emergency%20Rule.pdf.

We remind North Carolina voters that they have three options for voting: absentee by-mail, in person during the early voting period or on Election Day.

Also, State Board staff members are drafting recommendations for the General Assembly to consider that may help mitigate effects of the COVID-19 virus on upcoming elections. Recommendations may include amending requirements for absentee by-mail voting and steps to ensure an adequate number of poll workers are available.

State Board staff members have participated in elections-specific briefings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Homeland Security. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and issue guidelines to county boards of elections about how to try to prevent the spread of the disease, based on the best advice of medical professionals.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission has published guidance about the cleaning of voting equipment, which is available here: 

https://www.eac.gov/election-officials/coronavirus-covid-19-resources. We will make sure that all county boards of elections and poll workers receive this information and that supplies are available to clean voting booths and equipment regularly.

We also have posted a link on the State Board website to important Coronavirus information provided by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services here: https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/public-health/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-response-north-carolina.

Because this situation is changing rapidly, we will continue to provide updates about voting and elections to the media and on our website, www.ncsbe.gov, and social media accounts.

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