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Board rejects untimely residency challenge to District 2 candidate
Summary
The Richmond County Board of Elections voted to reject an emailed residency challenge to a District 2 candidate because the challenger missed the two‑week statutory window and was not an elector in the district; the board declined to initiate its own challenge based on available records.
During new business the board considered an emailed allegation that a District 2 candidate, identified in the email as Mr. Johnson, might not meet residency requirements.
Staff summarized available records: the candidate listed a Woodland Avenue address on the qualifying form, said he had lived there for decades, holds a driver’s license with that address, is registered to vote at Woodland Avenue and has a homestead exemption at that property. The email contained a local news article noting the couple received Red Cross assistance after Hurricane Helen and referenced a second property listed in Mrs. Johnson’s name on Barbados Drive; staff said the emailed materials were confusing and lacked clear addresses or other corroborating documentation.
The board’s attorney advised that, based on what had been presented, there was no evidence showing a change of intent of residency or other proof to overcome the candidate’s documented ties to the Woodland Avenue residence and that the information did not compel a board‑initiated challenge.
A board member moved to reject the challenge on the grounds the emailed complaint was untimely (outside the two‑week statutory window in Code section 2126) and that the complainant was not an eligible elector in District 2; the motion also directed that the board take no action on its own motion. The motion was seconded and the board voted verbally in favor; the motion carried. The transcript does not record a roll‑call or the names of members voting for or against the motion.
The board took no further action on the matter that day.
