Wilkes Election Hearing Scheduled in Raleigh

What will finally be the outcome of the Wilkes School Board election concerning the winner of the third seat?  The N.C. Board of Elections has scheduled a hearing on the protest filed by Coleen Bush who is currently one vote behind Rickey Lankford following the May Primary.  The NC Board of Elections hearing is slated for August 7 at 9:30 am in the Boardroom of the State Office in Raleigh.  Bush filed the protest after Wilkes elections officials found irregularities in the voting process as there was the possibility that one or two 17-year-olds were given full ballots.   Darren Shumate and Hardin Kennedy III were the top two candidates in the race, but they cannot be sworn in until the protest is resolved and the election is certified.  At next week’s hearing, the State Board of Elections could call for a new election of all eight original candidates, call for a special election for the third seat between Lankford and Bush, or dismiss the protest.  Again, the Hearing regarding the protest of the Wilkes Board of Elections third seat is one week from today in Raleigh.