Thursday Wrap: Ladies and gentlemen, we have a state elections board

Gov. Roy Cooper named three Democrats and two Republicans to the board, the previous incarnation of which was dissolved by a court order after judges found its composition to be unconstitutional. It took some doing, however, as four of the initial eight nominees – two Republicans and two Democrats – were deemed ineligible.

The move now means the state investigation into alleged absentee ballot fraud in the 9th Congressional District can proceed.

When the courts dissolved the former State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement, lawmakers divided it in two, restoring the elections board and the State Ethics Commission as separate entities – which they were up until the end of 2016. So, the four legislative nominees to the new eight-member Ethics Commission started through the approval process on Thursday and will likely be confirmed by next week.