“North Carolinians deserve fair and honest elections, and I am confident this board will work to protect our electoral process,” said Gov. Cooper.

Gov. Cooper appointed the following individuals:

 

• Stella Anderson, of Boone. Anderson was the Board Chair of the Watauga County Board of Elections from 2005-2013 and is a professor at Appalachian State University. 

 

• David C. Black, of Concord. David currently serves as the President of H & B Tool & Die Supply. Black also served as Chair of the Cabarrus County Board of Elections. 

 

• Jeff Carmon III, of Durham. Carmon is an attorney at the CW Law Group and practices in the areas of personal injury and criminal law. 

 

• Bob Cordle, of Charlotte. Cordle previously served on the State Board of Elections until 2013 and practiced law in Charlotte from 1968 to 2018, before retiring from Mayer Brown LLP. 

 

• Ken Raymond, of Winston Salem. Raymond is a freelance writer and works at the Piedmont Triad Airport. Raymond also served as the Chair of the Forsyth County Board of Elections.  

 

They will serve through April 30, 2023, or until successors are appointed and qualified.

The appointments come while the State Board continues to investigate absentee voting irregularities in the 9^th Congressional District. The Board is expected to hold an evidentiary hearing in February to decide whether to certify a winner or to order a new election. The date of the hearing has not been set.

Also, the State Board must appoint four of the five members to each of the state’s 100 county boards of elections. Under Session Law 2018-146, the governor appoints the fifth member, who will serve as chair.

The State Board also is working to implement new voter identification requirements, which will take effect for the 2019 municipal elections, unless otherwise directed by the courts. The state’s voters added the voter ID mandate to the N.C. Constitution in the November general election. Session Law 

The State Board must evaluate new voting equipment for formal state certification so county boards may purchase new machines to replace aging ones. Also, the agency is engaged in a large-scale modernization of the statewide elections management system.

“We congratulate the new Board members and look forward to working with them to promote confidence in North Carolina elections,” said Kim Westbrook Strach, State Board executive director. “We thank them for their willingness to serve North Carolina’s voters at this critical time.”