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Scotland Neck voters need answers, reassurance

Published/Last Modified on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 12:09 PM EST

On Nov. 3, Scotland Neck voters joined thousands of North Carolinians at the polls to choose their municipal leaders. The results were close — apparently too close and for the second election the final tally is under fire.

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The initial vote showed incumbent James Mills a one-vote winner, but the canvass the next week reversed the results, again by a single vote. Then members of the Board of Election noted what they believe is an “abnormality” in the voting. It appears a person living outside of the community may have been allowed to vote in the town election.

The board conferred with state officials and then did the right thing — it rescinded the vote tally. The two mayoral candidates and a town council candidate then filed protests with the board offering a wide range of challenges to the vote and the election procedures.

The board has again decided to take the right course — hold formal hearings into the dispute.

The voters of Scotland Neck deserve to know each and every vote properly cast is counted. Any election shenanigans must be ferreted out and erased from the final tally.

If the errors were intentional, then the guilty parties should pay.

We applaud the Halifax County Board of Elections’ actions and urge its members to keep the process open to the public and above reproach. After all, that is what democracy should always be.

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