Merrill says she’ll continue election fight

Republican Chrisina Kelley G. Merrill says she’ll continue fighting for a seat on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, despite the Jan. 15 swearing-in of her opponent, Democrat Ellen Frost.

An unofficial tally of results on election night, Nov. 6, showed Merrill with a lead, but it was erased in subsequent tallies when a number of provisional ballots cast by residents of the left-leaning Warren Wilson College were added. A Dec. 7 hand recount of all the District 2 ballots showed Frost with a 18 vote win, giving Democrats a 4-3 majority of the board’s seats.

The certification of the results had been stalled for two months pending a series of appeals by Merrill, who charged that many ballots of the college’s residents were illegally included in the results. However, both the county and state board of elections denied her request for evidentiary hearings on the matter. And on Jan. 15, Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway denied her request to prevent a certificate of election from being issued in the District 2 race, noting in his decision that he thinks it’s unlikely she’ll prevail in any further appeal.

Bob Deutsch, lawyer for Frost, says he believes any legal actions Merrill might take after his client was sworn in would be moot.

However, Merrill maintains that “nothing’s changed in terms of what we’re seeking, which is a hearing.” She says the point of asking for the judge to maintain a stay on certifying the election results “was to avoid complicating the situation more by swearing someone in before we had a [evidentiary] hearing.” Her next step, she says, is “to get together with counsel and see what, if anything, would be next.”

“It’s still highly irregular that nearly 200 voters were moved from District 1 to District 2 just days before the election,” she asserts. “I’m going to fight for what’s right. And the voters of this county can count on that. Whether we win or lose, integrity is important.”

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Jake Frankel
Jake Frankel is an award-winning journalist who enjoys covering a wide range of topics, from politics and government to business, education and entertainment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “Merrill says she’ll continue election fight

  1. Dionysis

    “I’m going to fight for what’s right. And the voters of this county can count on that. Whether we win or lose, integrity is important.”

    What’s right is that the elected victor has been sworn in and the loser continues to lose this Quixotic effort. The “voters” put her opponent into office, so if there is a desire for them to “count on” you, do the graceful thing and accept your loss. Integrity includes being an adult and not a sore loser.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.