Ask and ye shall receive: County gets nominees for Elections Board

What a difference a day can make when it comes to the vacant seat on the Surry County Board of Elections.

Friday morning, Surry County Elections Director Michella Huff received word from state officials that nominees have now been received to replace Barbara Cave, who stepped down from the board in June for personal reasons.

Thursday Huff said she had sought clarification from the North Carolina State Board of Elections regarding the replacement of Cave. The state board clarified, “Senate Bill 749 shifted appointment authority to the General Assembly and is currently enjoined. The legal challenge to SB 749 is pending at the North Carolina Court of Appeals.”

They went on to say, “While the case is ongoing, we are operating under the pre-SB 749 version of G.S. 163-30(d) which says that “[w]henever a vacancy occurs in the membership of a county board of elections for any cause the State chair of the political party of the vacating member shall have a right to recommend two registered voters of the affected county for such office, and it shall be the duty of the State Board to fill the vacancy from the names thus recommended.”

“The good news is I just, at 9:53 a.m. this morning, received an email from the State (Republican) Party with their nominees. We still need to review the applications, but the State Board of Elections received nominations from the Chair of the NC Republican Party this morning. We anticipate that the state board will take action on the nominations at the next state board meeting.” There is no date provided on the state board’s website for when that meeting will be held.

Cave was sworn in as a member on the Surry County Board of Elections last July for a two-year term; Huff said her decision to step down was of a personal nature.

Cave said it had it had been an honor to serve and a learning experience.