Current:Home > InvestNorth Carolina election board says Republican with criminal past qualifies as legislative candidate-InfoLens
North Carolina election board says Republican with criminal past qualifies as legislative candidate
View Date:2024-12-23 17:40:10
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — An ex-felon can run for a North Carolina legislative seat this year, the State Board of Elections ruled on Tuesday, upholding a county election board’s determination that he’s been discharged for the crimes from another state.
State board members participating in the meeting voted unanimously to confirm last week’s divided decision by the Rockingham County Board of Elections to deny a candidate challenge against Joseph Gibson III and to declare he’s qualified to run for a state House seat.
Gibson is set to run in the March 5 Republican primary against Rep. Reece Pyrtle, who defeated Gibson in the 2022 primary with nearly 80% of the vote. The winner will face no Democratic opposition in the fall.
Rockingham County GOP chairwoman Diane Parnell filed a candidate challenge in December, alleging that Gibson may be ineligible to run for office, citing information that Gibson had been convicted of felonies dating back to the 1990s.
North Carolina law says a felony offender’s voting rights — and thus the ability to run for office — are restored after the person completes time behind bars and any state supervision as a probationer or parolee. Parnell’s filing said she wasn’t aware that such restoration had occurred.
Gibson said during Tuesday’s meeting that he had completed sentences for crimes in Connecticut, which the county board said included his time as a probationer in North Carolina that ended in 2008.
While Gibson has no documentation of such a discharge, he is not on a list of convicted felons provided by the State Board of Elections to Rockingham County officials. And a state board attorney said Tuesday that Gibson didn’t necessarily have to show discharge paperwork to qualify.
Some state Republican activists who wanted to block Gibson’s candidacy have accused him of holding neo-Nazi beliefs. One of them said Democrats wanted Gibson on a ballot to attempt to embarrass the GOP.
Gibson was mentioned in a 2022 report by an arm of the Anti-Defamation League as holding extreme views. Gibson denies the neo-Nazi accusation, telling WRAL-TV last week that he gets callers of all political persuasions to his podcast radio show. His beliefs weren’t discussed in Tuesday’s meeting.
The Rockingham board had voted 3-2 along party lines to deny the challenge, with the board’s Democrats in the majority. On Tuesday, the two Republicans on the state board agreed that it was appropriate to defer to the county’s board decision given its scrutiny of a complex matter.
“The record is probably sufficient to support whatever conclusion the county board had made,” GOP board member Kevin Lewis said before Tuesday’s 4-0 vote.
veryGood! (399)
Related
- Florida man’s US charges upgraded to killing his estranged wife in Spain
- Clemson defeats Notre Dame for second NCAA men's soccer championship in three years
- Whitmer’s fight for abortion rights helped turn Michigan blue. She’s eyeing national impact now
- Singer Zahara, South Africa’s Afro-soul sensation and beloved ‘Country Girl,’ dies aged 36
- Appeals Court Affirms Conviction of Everglades Scientist Accused of Stealing ‘Trade Secrets’
- Voting closes in Egypt’s presidential elections, with el-Sissi almost certain to win a third term
- Hilary Duff Is Pregnant, Expecting Baby No. 4
- Kentucky woman seeking court approval for abortion learned her embryo no longer has cardiac activity
- Watch out, Temu: Amazon Haul, Amazon's new discount store, is coming for the holidays
- As COP28 negotiators wrestle with fossil fuels, activists urge them to remember what’s at stake
Ranking
- When does 'Dune: Prophecy' come out? Release date, cast, where to watch prequel series
- How school districts are tackling chronic absenteeism, which has soared since the COVID-19 pandemic
- Epic wins its antitrust lawsuit against the Play Store. What does this verdict mean for Google?
- Secret Santa Gifts on Amazon That Understand the Assignment & They're Under $30
- Jennifer Garner Details Navigating Grief 7 Months After Death of Her Dad William Garner
- Rights group says security services in Belarus raid apartments and detain election observers
- Guest's $800K diamond ring found in vacuum bag at Paris' Ritz Hotel
- Tommy DeVito's agent makes waves with outfit, kisses during Giants game
Recommendation
-
Brands Our Editors Are Thankful For in 2024
-
Police and customs seize live animals, horns and ivory in global wildlife trafficking operation
-
Passengers lodge in military barracks after Amsterdam to Detroit flight is forced to land in Canada
-
CPR can be lifesaving for some, futile for others. Here's what makes the difference
-
Jason Kelce Offers Up NSFW Explanation for Why Men Have Beards
-
Benched Texas high school basketball player arrested for assaulting coach, authorities say
-
MLB a magnet for cheating scandals, but players face more deterrents than ever
-
Brandon Aubrey, kicker for the Cowboys, hasn't missed a field goal. Maybe he should.