North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced his appointments to the new state board of elections Jan. 31. The new board now consists of five members instead of the previous nine.
The previous board was disbanded on Dec. 28, a day after the General Assembly passed a wide-ranging elections bill that mandated a new elections board. The previous board had been struck down by a three-judge panel that said its previous makeup was unconstitutional. Judges said the Republican-controlled legislature went too far in limiting Cooper’s authority to name the board.
The new legislation allowed the governor to choose the five members for the new board from a list of candidates nominated by the two parties. Two members are returning to their spots on the board — Democrats Stella Anderson and Ken Raymond — while the rest are newcomers.
The new board voted unanimously on Feb. 21 to hold a new race in the 9th District. Primaries in the district are set to take place in May, with the general election following in September.
