As The Elections Boards Turn …

Typical elections board meetings are a great cure for insomnia.  But, lately, things have gotten exciting.  We had the always-unpredictable, always-exciting Dallas Woodhouse in some episodes over early voting in Jackson and Granville counties. 

Now, we have Anson County losing its second elections director in a calendar year:

[…] Neva Helms submitted her resignation letter this week, citing unsafe conditions and responsibilities that were “incompatible” with the role.

The resignation came after a tense interaction this week with a local candidate, which the North Carolina State Board of Elections said they are now investigating.

Helms, daughter of local Republican representative Mark Brody, was appointed to the director role by the North Carolina State Board of Elections in May. Her appointment came after the ousting of both former longtime director Sherry Melton as well as the deputy director

In a 2-page letter obtained by WBTV, Helms detailed a list of workplace grievances including:

• County commission reduced her salary from $71,000 to $43,000 within her first week of employment
• Removal of overtime pay in the latest proposed county budget
• No relief during Anson County’s recent days-long water boil advisory, despite other departments receiving relief or accommodations
• No assistance during her mandatory lunch clock-out period, requiring her to work off the clock to assist the public
• No structured training to learn the role

Resignation comes after tense meeting with candidate

In her letter, Helms says the decision to resign came after an incident on Tuesday that required assistance from the sheriff’s office and made her feel that she could no longer safely work in the building

According to people familiar with the incident, the incident involved a meeting with an election candidate and two other people who became upset about how the board was handling issues with the candidate’s paperwork.

In that meeting, the candidate and others with him allegedly raised their voices and the meeting became heated.

No arrests were ultimately made, and no one was threatened.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the NCSBOE said the Board is aware of and investigating the incident among other allegations made in the letter.

“We take any allegations of intimidation, harassment, or interference with elections officials very seriously and will conduct a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding this incident,” their statement read.

Director cites safety concerns with building

Helms said in her letter that there was unauthorized access to the Board of Elections building after hours, after telling county leadership repeatedly that the building was restricted to unauthorized personnel.

County chairman Jamie Caudle didn’t respond to an emailed request from WBTV to discuss concerns raised to the county. Helms did not say in her letter who was accessing the building.

In North Carolina, election buildings are typically owned and maintained by the county with the North Carolina State Board of Elections providing guidance and recommendations on security.

The letter stated that Helms also only recently discovered that restricted areas could be unlocked with a cell phone, and that unnamed individuals she was not aware of had access to security camera footage in the building.

“It allowed others to see when I arrived, when I left, and when I was alone in the building without my knowledge,” Helms wrote.

Helms worked alone without support staff for the majority of her three months on the job. The deputy director who was named when she started did not complete his onboarding training, and he was not replaced

In the interim, the NCSBOE told WBTV they have dispatched staff to Anson County to help maintain operations.

“Our immediate priority is ensuring the Anson County Board of Elections remains fully operational and that voters continue to receive uninterrupted election services,” the Board’s statement read.

“We will continue working closely with the county board as it moves forward with hiring new staff and preparing for the upcoming election.”