(The Center Square) – The campaign for state Rep. Michael Wray has filed protests in three North Carolina counties and is awaiting decisions on certification before its next move.
Wray, D-Northampton, on Friday afternoon was shown 35 votes behind Rodney Pierce of more than 11,000 cast in District 27 Democratic primary. He represents Halifax, Northampton and Warren counties and has won 10 two-year terms.
For the victor, there is no Republican opponent in November.
In a release, Wray said, “We appreciate the county boards of elections looking at the questions we have raised. We are not challenging any votes that were cast and counted. We are simply asking the county boards to ensure that they did not improperly reject any ballots. Our campaign has never asked for rules to be changed and we are following the procedure set forth in North Carolina law. We simply want to ensure that all valid ballots are counted.”
The campaign’s protests, the release says, urged the respective county boards to “take a closer look at several ballots that were rejected. If those denials were wrongful, voters were denied their rights to cast ballots. North Carolina law provides for such a review to make sure that all valid ballots are counted. Until that process is completed, it would be premature for either candidate to talk about a recount.”
County boards met Friday morning across the state to canvass the Super Tuesday primaries. Results remain unofficial until the state Board of Elections gives certification.
On the day after the election, the difference was 42 votes of 11,918 cast. Mid-afternoon on Friday, the total cast had grown to 11,939.
Other House members to lose were Rep. George Cleveland, R-Onslow, and Rep. Kevin Crutchfield, R-Cabarrus. Sen. Mike Woodard, D-Durham, was the lone victim in his chamber.
