The local Democratic Party has selected a school counselor from Burlington to fill one of the last unclaimed slots on the ballot in this year’s general election.
Kourtney Jevon Royster officially joined the candidate roll on Friday as the Democratic Party’s contender for a special seat on Alamance County’s board of commissioners that had previously belonged to the late Republican commissioner John Paisley, Jr.
Because Paisley had nearly three years to go in his term when he passed away in February, state law demanded that his seat appear on November’s ballot for a term of two, rather than the standard four, years in office. The relevant statute also allowed the local GOP to select a seat warmer to fill Paisley’s old seat until after the general election. In addition, the emergence of this vacancy so close to the primaries on March 3 enabled the leaders of both major parties to select the nominees for the ballot rather than leave the decision up to each party’s rank and file.
Within a month of Paisley’s death, the leadership of Alamance County’s Republicans had tapped Burlington businessman Sam Powell for the seat-warmer role as well as the GOP’s slot in the general election. It nevertheless took the GOP until the beginning of June to complete the formalities needed for the local elections office to add Powell to the candidate list for November.
The Democratic Party, meanwhile, was even longer in picking its own champion for the special two-year term on the county’s governing board.
In the end, it wasn’t until July 17 that the local elections office updated its candidate list to include Royster’s name. Later that day, Royster posted a brief message to Facebook, announcing his candidacy for the special, two-year position.
“It is an honor to be nominated by the Democratic Party to pursue this seat,” he declared in the post. “Alamance County residents deserve better, and our youth deserve a fully funded school system. Let’s make it happen!”
According to his Facebook page, Royster is a graduate of Cummings High School who went on to obtain a degree from Clemson University in South Carolina. Since 2024, Royster has worked for Durham Public Schools, whose website identifies him as a school-based well being specialist.”
