Gov. Beverly Perdue appointed members to the State Board of Elections on Monday.
Perdue was required by law to appoint members from lists submitted by the state political parties. The board includes three Democrats and two Republicans who serve four year terms.
Perdue reappointed Democrats Larry Leake of Mars Hill and Robert Cordle of Charlotte, as well as Republican Charles Winfree of Greensboro. New appointees were Democrat Anita Earls of Durham and Republican William Peaslee of Raleigh.
They replace Democrat Genevieve Sims and Republican Lorraine Shinn.
Earls is executive director and founder of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, a position she has held since September 2007. From 2003 to 2007, she was director of advocacy at the UNC Center for Civil Rights. Earls also served as deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice from 1998 to 2000.
She received a law degree from Yale University and an undergraduate degree from Williams College.
Peaslee runs a general practice law firm in Cary. He was political director, special legal counsel and chief of staff of the state Republican Party until 2006.
Peaslee received a law degree from Campbell University and an undergraduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill.
The State Board of Elections supervises and regulates primary and general elections in North Carolina.
Comments
Re: Perdue picks elections board
July 7, 2009 - 12:41pm — telephotoncWas this really a smart pick? The Southern Coalition for Social Justice has been a party in lawsuits filed for and against the State Board of Elections. Also, the group has lobbied on behalf of matters that come before the SBOE. If Earles keeps her job as ED of the SCSJ, woulnd't there be the potential for a conflict of interest?
I can see one in particular if there is a matter of election policy. If her organization supports a particular type of voting method, and the SBOE has to rule on the legality of using that method or the wisdom of using that method - how will she vote?