All tagged election 2020
On Saturday, Governor Roy Cooper was sworn in for his second term as North Carolina’s Governor. Members of North Carolina’s Council of State also took the oath of office. The theme of the Inaugural ceremony was North Carolina: Strong, Resilient, Ready, and due to the ongoing pandemic, the ceremony was altered to follow COVID-19 safety protocols.
Let's talk politics, first on the State level (Georgia) and then on the national scene. In the Georgia election, which was held yesterday, it is reported that the GOP recruited over 8,000 volunteers to watch the polls in the counting of votes in the two races for the U.S. Senate.
Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03) will object to certain Electoral College votes on Wednesday during the Joint Session of Congress certifying the presidential election results. Murphy released the following statement:
The ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court denying Texas' motion to file a Bill of Complaint alleging voting irregularities by the states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin was based mainly on the claim that "Texas did not demonstrate a judicially recognizable interest in the matter." So this ruling by SCOTUS was apparently based on the jurisdiction and not the merits of the case, which may embolden the challengers to continue their efforts.
Despite all the hoopla and caterwauling that surrounded the Nov. 3 General Election, the real election for U.S. President takes place today when electors gather in their specific states to cast ballots for our nation’s highest office.
Today I want to write about the ongoing controversy concerning our recent Presidential election. Folks, some have attempted to make this a partisan issue, but that is not what it's all about. Representatives of BOTH major parties are now coming forward in the cause of justice and for the preservation of our Republic, to tell what they saw on Election Night and to bring to light supposed irregularities that have occurred.
If the Republican Party were only the party of white men, it would never win an election. When discussing electoral matters, we all tend to use the political equivalent of shorthand. It’s a handy tool. We use it to identify the tipping point that determines electoral outcomes — the bellwether county, the interest group with shifting allegiances, the decisive issue that turned the tide.
A statewide recount is being held to determine the winner of the race for NC Supreme Court Chief Justice, after the initial count found only 406 votes separating the two candidates. Lenoir County will recount its votes Friday, while Jones and Greene Counties will hold recounts on Monday.
Lenoir County Board of Elections Director Steve Hines also provided Neuse News with the final numbers for the write-in campaign for the Lenoir County Board of Education. Michelle Cash received 6,485 votes, and Nancy Gilmore received 6,088 votes.
Every legal vote should be counted but that, according to many investigative agencies, just did not occur in this election. We must stop this from ever happening again. One observer probably had it right when he said, as millions of ballots were being sent out without regard to authenticity, "The fix is in." If we deny ourselves the right to free and fair elections, we will be headed in the direction of many third-world countries whose people are governed by a handful of despots who govern by force without regard to the will of the people.
The North Carolina Federation of Republican Men (NCFRM) stands behind President Trump in holding the individual States accountable for a fair and just election. Voter integrity should be the top priority without compromise.
North Carolina elections officials wish to remind Election Day voters that it may take a few weeks before their “voter history” is updated to reflect their recent vote in their voter record available through the State Board of Elections’ Voter Search tool. The State Board of Elections and county boards of elections are inundated with questions from voters about whether their ballot was counted in the 2020 general election. In almost every single case, the answer will be yes.
From Nancy Gilmore, Write-in Candidate for Lenoir County Board of Education:
Thank you Lenoir County! I was overwhelmed with the response to the Write-In candidate campaign for Board of Education. Knowing that being a Write-In would be an uphill battle, I spent the 91 days (yes, that’s how long I had from filing for office until Election Day) in overdrive to get my name out. For a first time candidate, this was quite an undertaking and many would have never attempted it because of the obvious difficulty. But as I have always told my students, you never know if you don’t try!
Lenoir County Board of Commissioners (At Large): Chad (CJ) Rouse (R) and Linda Rouse Sutton (D)
Lenoir County Board of Commissioners District 3: June Cummings (D)
Lenoir County Board of Education: Bruce E. Hill (D), Merwyn K. Smith (D)
NC State House District 12: Chris Humphrey (R)
NC State Senate District 7: Jim Perry (R)
NC District Judge District 8 Seat 6: Annette W. Turik (R)
NC Senate, District 5: Don Davis (D)
NC House, District 10: John Bell (R)
NC District Court Judge, District 8, Seat 6: Annette Turik
Greene County Board of Education: Joey Rackley (R) and Brandon Johnson (R)
Greene County Board of Commissioners, District 2: Derek Burress (R)
Greene County Board of Commissioners, District 1: Buddy Shackleford (D)
Jones County Board of Education: Billy Griffin (R), Schumata Brown (R)
NC District Court Judge District 4 Seat 5: Robert H. Gilmore (R)
NC State Senate District 6: Michael A. Lazzara (R)
NC State House District 13: Patricia (Pat) McElraft (R)
Of all living creatures only we have the gift of laughter, and it's ours to use whenever we choose. So I'll cultivate the habit of laughter. I'll smile, and my digestion will improve. I'll chuckle, and my burdens will be lightened. I'll laugh, and my life will be lengthened. That's the great secret of long life, and now it's mine.
At the October 5th Kinston City Council meeting, the elected members unanimously approved two motions allowing city employees new vacation days for June 19 and Election Day. With roughly less than five minutes of discussion, both motions passed.
The City of Kinston has 378 positions on payroll and have about 350 positions filled at this time. Let’s assume all 350 are eligible to vote. If 70% take the time to vote, that will equate to approximately 245 employees exercising that right. Since 61.2% have already cast their ballots in our area, it would mean about 214 employees have already done so.
Based on historical numbers, the cost per vote on Election Day (31) is roughly $1,729, plus time and a half for our police, fire and other essential employees.
Whatever happens, North Carolina’s legislative contests will be part of an important but underreported national story of partisan battles over control of state governments going into 2021 — a pivotal year when COVID-era budgets will be set, states will struggle to emerge from the COVID recession, lawmakers will fashion post-COVID changes in education and health-care policy, and new sets of legislative and congressional districts will be drawn around the nation, usually (but not always) by state legislators.
