by Blake Proctor
With Board member Deborah Belle excused absent, Elections Board Chair Louella Thompson called the May 11th meeting of the Bladen County Board of Elections to order at 4:58 pm.
Executive Director Chris Williams informed the Board that activity in the office was low-key – just the normal business-as-usual goings-on between elections.
He then informed the Board about a meeting between all the local elections boards and Karen Bell, Executive Director of the State Board of Elections.
In this April 28th zoom meeting, Ms Bell advised local Directors that the 42 local boards in counties where there will be no census district or precinct changes will be held this coming November as scheduled.
The remaining 58 counties have either had large statistically significant demographic changes countywide or precinct=wide requiring district boundary shifts; those counties will not hold their elections until the 2022 primaries in May after the census data has been analyzed and new precinct lines drawn.
Ms. Bell had previously gone before the legislature requesting that they postpone all municipal elections until the May 2022 primary so that all municipal elections will be held on the same date; they have not however, made such a determination.
County Commissioner Michael Cogdell, present for Tuesday evening’s meeting, then asked if the precinct lines would be moved before the election to reflect any changes in county population and racial demographics.
Mr. Williams reiterated that these changes, if required, would be undertaken by the County Commission after all demographic becomes available. It was noted that the last precinct boundary changes in Bladen County were made in 1987, and were mandated by federal court order.
As there was no more business to be discussed, the meeting adjourned at 5:10 pm.
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