Karen Brinson Bell Archives

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s elections board has ousted the agency’s executive director after Republicans gained control. The State Board of Elections on Wednesday replaced executive director Karen Brinson Bell with Sam Hayes, the top lawyer for the GOP’s House speaker. Brinson Bell has been widely praised in election circles nationwide for her performance as executive director for nearly six years. The board’s composition got altered just last week through a state law enacted late last year by Republican lawmakers that stripped the Democratic governor of his appointment power and gave it to the Republican state auditor. The law got implemented even though trial judges struck it down as unconstitutional just two weeks ago.… Continue Reading

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina State Board of Elections’ top administrator wants a powerful legislator to retract a comment that he made suggesting this month’s results were being manipulated. Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell wrote to Senate leader on Thursday, the day after he spoke to reporters. Senate leader Phil Berger sounded unhappy with a lengthy post-election counting process and inferred it was being used to help change a result. Brinson Bell said Berger’s accusation “has absolutely no basis in fact” and that county election boards were duty-bound to examine provisional and absentee ballots. A Republican initially led a state Supreme Court race on election night, but the Democrat is now ahead while there is a recount.… Continue Reading

The election director in North Carolina, a key swing state, is ousted after a Republican power play

North Carolina elections chief wants senator to take back comment about vote manipulation