RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) voted unanimously to certify Republican challenger Paul Newby as North Carolina’s newest Supreme Court Chief Justice Friday afternoon.
Newby’s win follows a closely contested race with Democratic incumbent Cheri Beasley and two subsequent recounts, which found Beasley to have lost the contest by just 416 votes out of nearly 5.4 million cast.
The certification of this race means that all November 2020 race results in North Carolina are officially certified, NCSBE Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell said in a press release.
“Thank you to the county boards of elections that worked day in and day out to ensure accurate results for North Carolina voters. The results for every contest under state jurisdiction in the 2020 general election are now certified,” Brinson Bell said.
Beasley conceded the race on Dec. 13, when the hand-to-eye count recount she requested saw Newby’s lead increase by 15 votes.
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Also at its meeting, the Board ruled 3-2 that Governor Roy Cooper would appoint Wake County’s District Court Judge District 10F Seat 2 judge.
The Wake County Board of Elections unanimously disqualified the race’s winner by over 10,000 votes, Democrat Tim Gunther, after a petition was filed on the grounds that Gunther did not live in the district.
Cooper will pick his nominee after giving “due consideration” to five nominees of the bar of the judicial district, all of whom must reside in and can practice law in the district.
The Board also voted to remove Sue Hicks from the Camden County Board of Elections for violating a state law that prohibits board members from making public political statements.
Hicks, a Republican, made a public post supporting President Donald Trump and was also found to have liked “numerous” partisan and candidate supporting posts. Earlier this year, she filed a similar complaint that resulted in the removal of former Board Member and registered Democrat Rickey Wilson.
According to the release, NCSBE has “repeatedly cautioned” board members against these activities.
“In this challenging election year, we worked hard to ensure the election results were accurate and correct,” State Board Chair Damon Circosta said. “We also need to make sure that the public has confidence in what we do.”
