Local elections office closed; commissioners await state Board of Elections help

County commissioners were told a local Board of Elections office is closed after the director reportedly left and locked the building following a disturbance; the county manager and attorney said state elections officials have been notified and advised the county not to enter the facility.

Commissioners were briefed that the local elections chair (Kelly Newton) called county staff and expressed concerns about security footage and cameras the county had installed at the board of elections' request. County Attorney Forbes and the manager said they had been in contact with attorneys from the State Board of Elections; those attorneys advised the county to avoid entering the building because the situation could trigger homeland-security and chain‑of‑custody issues for ballots and election materials.

Commissioners said they would not unilaterally declare the office closed or otherwise take operational control; instead they urged the State Board of Elections to provide on‑site staff or state employees to run necessary election functions until the local board stabilizes. Candidate and resident Kevin Adams had urged commissioners earlier in the meeting to request state on‑site assistance, citing concerns about staffing, training and procedural irregularities at the local elections office.

The county indicated it would relay any formal notice from the local board or the state to the public, but commissioners generally declined to post closure notices themselves without a formal request from the elections board or state representatives. County IT staff said they had been asked to take steps to secure or preserve footage at the local elections facility at the chair's request.