New protest filed by former candidate Quarla Blackwell
The Lenoir County Board of Elections is facing a growing list of challenges stemming from the November municipal election. Former city council candidate Quarla Blackwell filed a new protest alleging widespread irregularities, residency issues involving multiple candidates, and violations by poll workers and campaign personnel.
The board held preliminary consideration hearings Thursday for the earlier protests. The amended protest against Lipford, filed by attorney Sean Keenan, was allowed to move forward to a full evidentiary hearing. Of the two protests filed against Moore, one was denied outright, and the other was partially advanced. Only the allegation questioning Moore’s residency within the Kinston city limits met the threshold to proceed.
On Friday, Blackwell submitted a detailed written protest raising new challenges related to the overall conduct of the election and the eligibility of several candidates.
Blackwell stated that the original protest filed against her earlier in the cycle was “untimely and procedurally improper” under N.C. Gen. Stat. 163-127.2, which governs candidate challenges. She argued that the filing should have been dismissed rather than converted into an election protest before voting began. Blackwell also criticized the inclusion of personal loan information in another candidate’s protest, stating that such records are not public and should not have been used in an election proceeding.
Blackwell’s protest further questions the residency eligibility of council candidates Ashley Kornegay and Milton Foster. She wrote that Kornegay announced publicly that she moved to Kinston earlier this year and argued that the filing address listed on her candidacy documents raises concerns about the validity of the residency claim. Blackwell also questioned Foster’s residency based on county tax records that place his listed property within the La Grange Fire District.
In addition to candidate eligibility concerns, Blackwell alleged that poll workers engaged in improper conduct and that voters were treated with hostility at multiple voting sites. She cited reports of voters being approached aggressively, confronted by workers, and discouraged based on campaign materials they carried.
The protest also alleges repeated violations of the 50-foot buffer rule by candidates and campaign supporters, including claims that workers approached voters’ vehicles and created an atmosphere of intimidation. Blackwell wrote that she experienced one such encounter firsthand on Election Day at the Holloway site.
Blackwell further asserted that false complaints were made to election officials to disrupt voter services, such as food and refreshments offered at polling places. She argued that the complaint process was used to hinder candidates’ outreach rather than ensure compliance.
One of the most significant allegations in Blackwell’s filing concerns voter eligibility. She stated that individuals on probation and individuals living outside the city limits were allowed to vote because of inaccuracies in the elections database. Blackwell wrote that she herself was improperly allowed to register and receive a voter card while on unsupervised probation, which she said should not have been possible under state law.
Under N.C. Gen. Stat. 163-82.14, boards of elections are required to maintain accurate voter rolls. Blackwell argued that failures in this process undermined the integrity of the municipal election and contributed to ineligible voting.
In her conclusion, Blackwell wrote that the combination of improper protests, disputed residencies, poll worker misconduct, campaign violations, false complaints, intimidation, and inaccurate voter records constitute a “systemic failure” in the administration of the election. She requested a full investigation and called for a re-election.
The Lenoir County Board of Elections will determine whether Blackwell’s protest meets the criteria for probable cause to advance to a formal evidentiary hearing. The preliminary meeting for this protest is Monday, November 17, 2025 at 5:30 pm.
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