Tuesday, September 26, 2023

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First day of candidate filing interrupted by court’s delay of federal & state legislative candidacies

Being the early bird didn’t exactly help state senator Amy Scott Galey secure the proverbial worm on Monday when candidate registration for next year’s elections officially began across North Carolina.

Galey was literally camped out in a canvas folding chair outside of Alamance County’s elections office about half an hour before the state’s 12-day registration period formally kicked off at 12:00 noon.

 

State senator Amy Galey was, literally, the first in line Monday morning to file for re-election to her newly-configured state state district, which includes all of Alamance County, and a portion of Randolph when she received word that all legislative contests (for Congress, and state senate and state house) were to be delayed as a result of a court order applied statewide. Beside Galey is Republican county commissioner Steve Carter who was there to file for re-election.  Republican commissioner Craig Turner’s reflection can be seen in the window; he also filed Monday; Turner had been appointed earlier this year to fill the commissioner seat left by Galey’s elevation to the state senate.

But the incumbent state senator’s foresight was utterly undermined at 11:39 a.m. when state elections officials announced a delay in registration for legislative and congressional candidates due to a legal challenge to the state’s latest redistricting maps.

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Clerk of Court Meredith Edwards (right) greets state senator Amy Galey outside the Alamance County Board of Elections. Edwards came to file for re-election to her post.
Also present for first-day filing was sheriff Terry Johnson (in background with wife Pat).

The Court of Appeals issued an order Monday morning that suspended the filings for Congress, as well as for state house and state senate legislative districts across the state.

Galey nevertheless hung around after the state’s 11th hour postponement to mingle with some of the other Republican incumbents who were in line behind her before filing began. Among these early arrivals were county commissioners Craig Turner and Steve Carter; sheriff Terry Johnson; and Meredith Edwards, the county’s clerk of superior court.

Also filing later in the morning was Republican Robert Turner, who is running for a seat on the board of county commissioners, ensuring a primary among the two Turners (Craig and Robert) and Carter.

Also filing for re-election was district attorney Sean Boone, another Republican.

The only candidate filing for one of three seats on the non-partisan school board was Chuck Marsh.

[Editor’s Note: UPDATE: The original Mon. morning decision was by a panel of three Court of Appeals judges who ordered the filing halted.  By evening, the full 15-member Court of Appeals reversed that decision and restored filing, which will resume for Congressional and legislative seats on Tuesday.]

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