03/29/2024
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By Blake Proctor

Due to an uptick in cases of the Wuhanfluenza in Bladen County, the Board of Elections telephonically on Tuesday, December 8th for the first time since their June 9th meeting. All board members were present on their phones; this reporter was in attendance in Director Chris Williams’ office.

Opening the meeting at 5:05pm, Chair Louella Thompson turned the floor over to Mr. Williams to update the Board on a new request for a hand-to-eye random sampling in the Beasley-Newby race for Chief Justice.

As background, State Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, lagging her opponent, Justice Paul Newby, by a mere five votes state-wide in the general election, had asked for a recount which, in Bladen County, happened on Saturday, November 21st and into the early morning of Sunday, the 22nd. 

That recount actually added 396 votes to Justice Newby’s tally; however, as permitted by state law, Chief Justice Beasley has now petitioned for a hand-to-eye random sampling of precincts in all 100 counties. In Bladen County, the precinct randomly chosen by the State Board of Elections was Bladenboro’s 1st Precinct.

Therefore, at 1:00pm on Friday, December 11th, the Board of Elections will be hand counting 178 ballots from that precinct; this process should take one to two hours, but preparations are for three hours, “just in case.” As with the first recount, this counting will be conducted with four poll workers from each party undertaking the task in teams of two.

Additionally, under state law, a Precinct Sort must be held within 30 days of a hand-to-eye recount; to dispense with this chore quickly, that undertaking will occur on Wednesday and Thursday, December 16th and 17th.

In two matters of informational housekeeping, Chair Thompson has signed the dismissal of Chief Justice Beasley’s appeal. Also, Former County Commissioner David Gooden’s protest has been denied by the State Board of Elections as not being “timely;” that is, he had waited too long to file the required documentation. 

With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 5:14 pm.

 

 

 

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