CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Gov. Roy Cooper appointed a new five-member board of elections after the previous board was ruled unconstitutional by a judge last month.
The panel, three Democrats and two Republicans, will then work to schedule an evidentiary hearing to give voters some insight into issues during the race for the 9th District seat between Mark Harris and Dan McCready. A spokesperson for the board said only after a full hearing will members be able to make an informed decision on what to do next.
The new board will serve through April 30, 2023, or until successors are appointed.
Members of the State Board of Elections:
Stella Anderson (D), of Boone. Anderson was the Board Chair of the Watauga County Board of Elections from 2005-2013 and is a professor at Appalachian State University.
David C. Black (R), of Concord. Black serves as president of H&B Tool & Die Supply. He also served as chair of the Cabarrus Board of Elections.
Jeff Carmon III (D), of Durham. Carmon is an attorney at the CW Law Group and practices in the areas of personal injury and criminal law.
Bob Cordle (D), of Charlotte. Cordle previously served on the State Board of Elections until 2013 and practice law in Charlotte from 1968-2018 before retiring.
Ken Raymond (R), of Winston-Salem. Raymond is a freelance writer and works at the Piedmont Triad Airport. He also served as the chair of the Forsyth County Board of Elections.
It's been 12 weeks since Harris defeated McCready by 905 votes in November. But because the old board refused to certify the election results over reports of alleged absentee ballot fraud, the 800,000 people who live in the 9th District have been without representation. It's the only empty seat in all of Congress.
RELATED: Dan McCready accuses Mark Harris of stealing votes in one-on-one interview with NBC Charlotte
During a sitdown interview with NBC Charlotte, McCready accused Harris of stealing votes to win the election and said Harris' assocation with McCrae Dowless raised eyebrows within his campaign.
“We heard he was a guy who was up to no good. Causing shenanigans and possibly fraud in Bladen County," said McCready.
Earlier this month, Harris and his attorney requested a state judge to certify him as the winner of the election. That request was denied by Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway, who ruled that the state board of elections has the authority to complete its investigation.
“We look forward to providing a full accounting of what transpired once a Board is seated,” said Kim Westbrook Strach, state board executive director. “Public confidence in our elections system demands it.”
Harris and his team remain hopeful that he'll be certified as the winner in the end. In a statement, Harris said his team "will continue to cooperate with the investigation and hope for a speedy resolution."
The hearing is expected to take place in February, according to a release from the State Board of Elections.