New Precinct 7 Election set for March 11

State board concurs with local board recommendation

Maynor and Sampson to square off again in new election

Recount showed tie vote with concerns about "tainted" election

A new Lumberton city council election for precinct 7 will be held on March 11, 2008, with Leon Maynor and Laura Sampson battling each other again for the seat. Last month's recount ended in a tie with Maynor and Sampson each tallying 214 votes. The tie meant that the resolution of the contested election fell to the state board, but board members in Raleigh ended up agreeing with the recomendation of the Robeson County Board of Elections that a new election should be held to fill the precinct 7 seat. State officials continue to investigate the complaints of voter irregularities.

Local Board Seeks New Election

State Board of Elections will make final decision

Local concerns about "tainted" election

Recount for Precinct 7 shows a tie vote

The Robeson County Board of Elections will recommend to the state board that a new election be held to determine the Lumberton city council seat for Precinct 7. The members of the local board agreed at Tuesday night's meeting that the Precinct 7 election in early November was "tainted." The discussions during the meeting indicated that the word "tainted" refers to either irregularities in the voting process or the public "perception" of irregularities. One of the candidates, Leon Maynor, was present at the meeting to present evidence that he has collected of possible "vote buying" activities. The other candidate, Laura Sampson, was not present at the meeting.

Last week's recount for the Precinct 7 city council seat ended in a tie with Leon Maynor and Laura Sampson each tallying 214 votes. The tie means that the determination of the winner will be made by the State Election Board in Raleigh using a "random" selection process. The state board will also be responsible for investigating the complaints of voter irregularities and reviewing the local board's request for a new election. Although it is not possible to be certain how the state board will rule, the combination of a tie vote and the local board's recommendation for a new vote makes it hard to imagine how the state could not agree that a new vote is needed.

The initial election night results had given Maynor a one vote lead over Sampson, which led to last week's recount that showed a tie vote.

The local board has now received Maynor's written complaint that the election was tainted by vote-buying activities. In addition to evaluating the local board's request for a new election, the state board is responsible for conducting the investigation of Maynor's complaint and determining if the evidence points to any laws having been broken.

The state board is scheduled to meet in Raleigh on December 18th.