Bladen County Elections Boards director says his office is ready for restart of candidates filing

ELIZABETHTOWN — As the delayed filing process for candidates in the 2022 elections restarts the Bladen County Board of Elections staff is prepared for whomever may come to enter the political contests, and for whatever may happen.

“Yes, sir, we are ready,” Director Chris Williams said.

The new filing period was to start 8 a.m. Thursday and is to continue until noon March 4, barring any more legal challenges or rulings.

And an element of uncertainty entered the political environment on Wednesday even after the state Supreme Court refused late that day to delay the use of redistricting maps endorsed by trial judges earlier in the day.

The justices declined any delay despite a flurry of appeals from Republican legislative leaders opposed to the new lines for U.S. House seats, and from lawyers for voters and advocacy groups unhappy with new state Senate districts that the trial judges upheld.

North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore was one of the people who said he would file an appeal.

“Today’s ruling is nothing short of egregious,” Moore said Wednesday. “The trial court’s decision to impose a map drawn by anyone other than the legislature is simply unconstitutional and an affront to every North Carolina voter whose representation would be determined by unelected, partisan activists.”

He continued, “Let me clear: this court has effectively taken a hammer to our state constitution and the rule of law, and I will appeal this ruling with respect to the congressional map immediately on behalf of the voters.”

State Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger struck a more conciliatory stance.

The Republican senator issued a statement on Wednesday that reads, “The General Assembly’s remedial legislative maps met all of the court-mandated tests and were constitutionally compliant. A bipartisan panel of Special Masters affirmed that. We’re thankful for the trial court’s ruling today. We disagree with the interim Congressional map imposed by the Special Masters and are seeking a stay of that map, however, it’s time to move on and allow the filing period to begin tomorrow morning.”

The judicial decision also means primary elections will remain May 17. The Supreme Court had already suspended candidate filing in December and pushed back the March primary so that litigation challenging maps the Republican-controlled General Assembly approved in November could go to trial.

A majority of justices — all registered Democrats — struck down those lines earlier this month, saying they were partisan gerrymanders that violated the state constitution by failing to treat voters who back Democrats fairly.

Within two weeks, the General Assembly approved new congressional and legislative districts they say complied with the Supreme Court’s demands for partisan fairness and gave Democrats a pathway to win majorities.

On Wednesday, a panel of trial judges upheld the replacement state House and Senate boundaries but adopted an interim congressional plan that likely would be used for the 2022 elections only.

The judges agreed with the recommendation of special experts they hired who said the U.S. House map approved by the General Assembly failed to meet the statistical thresholds mentioned by the Supreme Court to give substantially similar voting power to Democrats and Republicans in an otherwise closely divided state.

“The court concludes that the remedial congressional plan does not satisfy the Supreme Court’s standards,” the order from Superior Court Judges Graham Shirley, Nathaniel Poovey and Dawn Layton read.

Republicans currently hold eight of the state’s 13 U.S. House seats, with North Carolina to gain a 14th seat this decade due to population growth.

The new court-drawn congressional plan makes changes that likely would help Democrats in winning a sixth seat, according to Asher Hildebrand, a Duke University politics professor and former congressional aide.

Republicans would be in good shape to win seven seats. And an open seat stretching from parts of Raleigh south into three fast-growing suburban counties likely would be very competitive, Hildebrand wrote in a social media message. These changes would put obstacles in front of national Republicans seeking to win the seat totals needed to win a majority in the chamber next fall.

As the filing process resumes, Bladen County Elections Board Director Williams and Deputy Director Wanda Monroe will be receiving and handling the filing packets. And candidates will not encounter any changes in the rules that were in place before the filing period was halted in December.

“It’s still the same as it was,” Williams said.

The new filing period was to start 8 a.m. Thursday and is to continue until noon March 4, barring any more legal challenges or rulings.

It was lawsuits filed by the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters and math experts in one case, voters backed by an affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee in the other, and a ruling by the North Carolina Supreme Court that brought the state’s election process to a halt on Dec. 9, 2021. A ruling regarding redistricting maps prepared by the Republican-controlled General Assembly has allowed the process to restart.

Candidates who filed in December 2021 and had their notice of filing accepted by the board of elections at which they filed do not need to file again if they still wish to run for the same governing board seat or political office, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections. Candidates who wish to change their prior filing will need to submit a form to withdraw their candidacy.

In Bladen County, the list of candidates who filed before the halt include Dublin Republican William Brisson, who is seeking reelection to the District 22 seat in the N.C. House of Representatives, and Jon David, a Republican seeking reelection as the district attorney for Bladen, Brunswick and Columbus counties.

Other candidates who filed before the stoppage are:

• Bladen County commissioners: Arthur Bullock, Democrat in District 1; Charles Ray Peterson, Republican in District 2; the Rev. Cameron McGill, Republican in District 3.

• Bladen County Board of Education: Cory Singletary, Democrat in countywide at-large; Gary Rhoda, Democrat in District 1; Vince Rozier, Democrat in countywide at-large.

• Clerk of Superior Court, Democrat: Althea Dixon Weaver, Democrat; Jason Britt, Republican; Cristin Hursey, Republican.

• Bladen County Register of Deeds: Beverly T. Parks, Republican.

• Bladen County sheriff: Gary S. Edwards, Republican.

There are up to three election dates in 2022, according to the State Elections Board.

Voting for statewide primary and rescheduled municipal elections is scheduled for May 17.

A second primary, if necessary, and municipal general and any runoff elections are to take place July 5, if no federal office is involved in a second primary. If a federal office is involved the second primary will be July 26.

July 16 also is the date that any second municipal election will be held if there are no second primary contests.

The statewide general election is to take place Nov. 8.

In addition to offices specific to Bladen County, local voters here in 2022 will be choosing representation to the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, state Supreme Court, state Court of Appeals, judges in District and Superior courts, the DA, the state Senate, and the state House.