LUMBERTON — The Robeson County Board of Elections is among the county boards to participate in a second recount of the results in the race for chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.
The county board will meet 9 a.m. Monday in Pine Street Senior Center, located at 801 Pine St. in Lumberton, to conduct the hand-to-eye recount, according to information from county Board of Elections Director Tina Bledsoe.
The second recount was made necessary because incumbent Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, a Democrat, requested the recount Wednesday night after the first recount was completed, according to the State Board of Elections. State law permits a candidate to request a sample hand-to-eye recount within 24 hours after the initial recount.
A statewide machine recount concluded Wednesday with Beasley trailing Republican challenger Paul Newby by 401 votes out of nearly 4.4 million cast, according to the state board.
“The county boards of elections have worked tirelessly throughout the recount process,” said Karen Brinson Bell, State Board of Elections executive director. “We cannot thank them enough for continuing to ensure voters’ voices are heard and that the results are accurate.”
Monday’s meeting of the county Board of Elections is open to the public. Members of the public also can attend via telephone and video conferencing if they can’t attend because of restrictions related to COVID-19. Parking will be available in the senior center’s rear parking lot and in the parking lot of the county Board of Elections’ office, which is adjacent to the senior center.
The county board advises the public that a mask must be worn at all times while on the premises of the senior center and county Board of Elections.
Anyone wanting to submit a public comment for the meeting must do so by 5 p.m. Friday, according to the county Elections Board. Comments should be submitted via email to [email protected]. All comments submitted will be read to board members during the meeting.
To join the meeting via telephone call 1-551-241-6420. No access code is required
To join via video conferencing download the free conference call app, join meeting and enter meeting ID: TinaBledsoe.
For more information about Monday’s meeting, call Bledsoe at 910- 671-3080.
“If the results of the sample hand-to-eye recount differ from the previous results within those precincts to the extent that extrapolating the amount of the change to the entire state (based on the proportion of ballots recounted to the total votes cast for that office) would reverse the results, then a statewide hand-to-eye recount of all ballots would be conducted,” a State Board of Elections release reads in part.
State Supreme Court candidates have filed more than 100 election protests that are either scheduled for consideration by the county boards of elections or have already been heard at the county level and appealed to the State Board, according to the State Board of Elections.
The State Board plans to hear the appeals at 10 a.m. Dec. 18.
