NC Democrat in key legislative race can appear on ballot, state elections officials say

Friday’s decision was split along party lines, with three Democratic members voting to keep Jordan on the ballot and two Republicans voting against it. State elections officials will move forward with ballot printing next week in the 10 affected eastern North Carolina counties where printing had been suspended as the election protest worked its way through the system.

Hanig said in an interview Friday after the state board’s decision that he hasn’t yet decided whether to pursue the election protest in another venue. He said the board’s vote didn’t surprise him but came as a disappointment.

“The Democrat State Board of Elections had a predetermined outcome,” Hanig said.

Jordan said in a statement that the board reached the proper conclusion.

“I’m glad that Bobby Hanig’s political theater is behind us now, and I look forward to continuing to talk to voters in this district,” she wrote. “They deserve a leader who will fight for them, not someone who wastes their time playing politics.”

In the leadup to Friday’s hearing, Hanig had requested the state board not consider Jordan’s appeal due to what it described as a late filing. The five-member board unanimously rejected Hanig’s request and considered the evidence Jordan provided, which included tax documents and voter registration records listing a Warrenton address where she claimed to have lived since December 2020. Jordan maintained that she spent nights in Raleigh for shorter work commutes, taking care of loved ones and resting after a long primary election cycle.

Under state law, North Carolina legislative candidates are required to have lived in the district they’re seeking to represent for at least one year prior to the general election, meaning Jordan must have been a resident of the newly drawn 3rd Senate District since Nov. 8, 2021.