By Nathan Ham
The Watauga County Board of Elections has now completed its board. According to an email sent out from the board of elections office at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has chosen Democrat Jane Ann Hodges to be the chairperson of the board.
According to Matthew Snyder, the Watauga County Board of Elections Director, the other four appointed members are democrats Matt Walpole and Marv Williamsen and Republicans Eric Eller and Nancy Owen.
Each of the 100 counties in the state had to reseat their election boards after a three-judge panel of Judge Jesse Caldwell, Judge Todd Burke and Judge Jeffery Foster ruled by a 2-1 margin that the state elections board was unconstitutionally constructed. The North Carolina Supreme Court upheld that ruling in January.
The names submitted for board chair position were Hodges and Republican Melanie Hollar. Hodges as well as Eller and Owen each served on the Watauga Board of Elections for the 2018 elections.
Hodges has called a special meeting for Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at 5 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Board Room.