The North Carolina NAACP and election security advocates are pushing for the firing of the state's election board chairman, Damon Circosta.
The NAACP has urged Gov. Roy Cooper to terminate Circosta, whom he appointed earlier this year, after a major scandal involving previous chairman Bob Cordle, according to Myrtle Beach Online.
“We respectfully urge you to request the immediate resignation [of Circosta] from the State Board of Elections and to quickly appoint a replacement member committed to ensuring North Carolina’s elections are a model of security for the nation, providing that all votes are recorded and counted transparently, accessibly, auditably and securely for all voters," read a letter from the NAACP to Gov. Cooper, according to the news outlet.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper
| Photo courtesy of the Governor's Office
The organization and related groups have accused the election board of not taking initiative to fight cybersecurity concerning foreign infringement on local and national elections. They took issue with the board’s announcement that counties can use an electronic voting machine rather than hand-marked paper ballots.
Critics say the machine is not only old and outdated but that it could be an easy target for hackers.
Cooper has supported Circosta and the election boards.
“The security of our elections is the number one priority of the State Board of Elections," the governor's spokesman, Ford Porter, said, according to Myrtle Beach Online. "This includes ballot and voting-machine security, ensuring against voter intimidation and discrimination in all forms, freedom from long lines, and making sure that voting is as easy and hassle-free as possible. The governor believes the board is focused on these concerns.”
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