The Johnston County Board of Elections held a brief meeting Monday afternoon to sign a letter that was sent to the NC Board of Elections officially dismissing the local election protest filed by Johnny Hill in the District 1 Republican county commissioner race. The election board held a four hour hearing on July 14th on the matter. The board voted unanimously to dismiss the complaint.
Hill had argued a voter guide distributed by Citizens for the Betterment of Johnston County was illegal and swayed the outcome of the primary. Fred Smith defeated Michelle Pace Davis by 52 votes.
Monday evening, Mr. Smith released a statement regarding the Johnston County Board of Elections’ unanimous dismissal of the election protest last week. “I am grateful that the members of the Johnston County Board of Elections unanimously dismissed this protest. Now, we can move forward with our general election campaign. I look forward to talking with the voters of Johnston County and sharing my vision for effective, efficient government that focuses on core priorities like public education, public safety and quality growth while keeping our taxes as low as possible.”
Mr. Smith will have opposition in the November general election from Archer Lodge resident Justin King who is running on the Democratic ticket for the District 1 seat being vacated by retiring commissioner Jeff Carver.
