McCrory picks up 12 votes in Haywood
Haywood County’s election results are finally complete.
On Oct. 27, a ruling handed down by United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina Judge Loretta C. Biggs directed the Department of Motor Vehicles to liaise with state election officials to review the claims of some voters that they either registered or changed their addresses at the DMV even though such documentation was missing.
Biggs’ ruling further directed counties to accept the provisional ballots of these voters upon affirmation by the voter that they did indeed make the changes at the DMV unless the DMV could produce for each voter a signed statement by that voter declining voter registration modification.
The Haywood County Board of Elections canvas was to be completed at 11 a.m. Nov. 18, but the board approved a recess while awaiting the DMV to produce any evidence as to why any provisional ballots should or should not be counted.
Director Robert Inman said that there were only five such ballots in the county, one of which they’d already approved. When the canvas reconvened on Nov. 22, the other four ballots in question were approved and added to the totals, along with 83 others.
Although no candidates in the county saw their victories or losses overturned as a result of the additions, Gov. Pat McCrory, R-Charlotte, — who trailed challenger and Attorney General Roy Cooper, D-Rocky Mount, by around 4,000 votes statewide on election night — did pick up 12 votes in Haywood County, outpacing Cooper 42 to 30 in this final round of balloting.
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As of press time Tuesday, Nov. 22, several outlying counties hadn’t yet completed their canvases yet either.
In Macon County, Board of Elections Director Debbie George said they would convene at 2 p.m. Nov. 22 to consider issues similar to Haywood County’s.
In Swain County, the board will assemble at 4 p.m. Nov. 23 and in Jackson County, Board of Elections Director Lisa Lovedahl said that the board would tentatively meet Dec. 1, although that could change based on further direction from the state.
These pending results are, however, still important to McCrory, who has only watched his deficit grow since Nov. 8. According to the State Board of Elections the afternoon of Nov. 22, McCrory — who has refused to concede to Cooper — now trails by 6,311 votes.
