Greenville Reporter

A Republican candidate for the state's District 24 House of Representatives said he understands why the two GOP members on the Board of Elections decided to resign.

"I am very concerned that a bureaucratic entity, with obvious political allegiance, would make a decision contrary to established law made by the legislature," Republican state House District 24 candidate Mick Rankin told the Greenville Reporter in an email. "Specifically, the same protections instituted after a previous ballot fraud incident."

Republican Board of Elections members Ken Raymond and David Black abruptly resigned from their posts just weeks before the election because they felt deceived by a settlement agreement that led to changes to the absentee voting process the Legislature approved this summer. The changes, which included allowing a ballot submitted without a witness signature to be rectified with an affidavit.

In his resignation letter, Raymond "It is impossible to have true bipartisanship when both sides of the political aisle do not have the important and vital information needed to make the right decisions," according to U.S. News and World Report.

In response to the resignation board Chair Damon Circosta told U.S. News and World Report that "Legal settlements are never perfect because, by their very nature, they require compromise. I was proud that our board was able to come together unanimously to make sure that every vote is secure and every voter is safe when they cast their ballot."

Rankin said he understands why Raymond and Black resigned in protest and reiterated his belief that the three Democrat members of the board exerted undue influence over the decision.

"They felt there was no other way to publicly expose the board's decision to by-pass law," Rankin told the Greenville Reporter.

At the same time, Rankin praised the decision by Raymond and Black to resign and said Gov. Roy Cooper has disappointed him for how he has handled the situation.

"He was elected to uphold the state constitution and laws of North Carolina and is approving a flagrant violation of law for political purposes," Rankin said about the governor.

When it comes to something as important as the election process, a political party should not play a part in decisions, Rankin said.

"Anyone elected must be steadfast in upholding the law," Rankin told the Reporter. "If the law is flawed there is a process to change it, with the people's representation, to ensure every law protects the rights of all North Carolinians."