Clay Aiken calls new Wake school board members 'idiots'

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The voters have spoken, and so has Clay Aiken

The new Wake County school board majority has an unexpected foe: Clay Aiken.

The tousle-haired "American Idol" runner-up, Leesville Road High School grad and single father used his blog to call the recently elected board members "selfish idiots."

His cyber-ambush on the Republican-backed board members, who oppose busing policies meant to encourage diversity, sparked a minor backlash. One board member made fun of his hit "Invisible." A conservative activist promised to investigate his voting habits. Board member Deborah Prickett, who has called for an end to busing, said that she plans to keep all her Aiken CDs despite the unpleasantness.

Aiken is no longer a Wake voter

Singer Clay Aiken has withdrawn his name from Wake County voter rolls, ending an official inquiry into his qualifications to vote in the county.

In a preliminary hearing Wednesday, the Wake Board of Elections decided probable cause exists that Aiken is not qualified to vote in Wake, because he lives in Chatham County. But because the board received a letter from Aiken rescinding his registration, it voted unanimously not to schedule a full hearing on the challenge.

Aiken's voting habits came to light after he posted an item on his Web site referring to new members of the Wake school board as "selfish idiots." Election records show that Aiken voted in that contentious Wake election in October. He was registered to vote using his mother's North Raleigh address.

GOP contests Aiken vote

The Wake County Republican Party on Friday challenged pop singer Clay Aiken's vote in this fall's school board elections, prompting a hearing that could strip him of his registration.

The "American Idol" runner-up and graduate of Leesville Road High in Raleigh last week lambasted the victorious GOP-backed school board candidates as "selfish idiots."

Party Chairman Claude Pope said, however, the party's move is not meant to retaliate against Aiken, and should not be taken as a criticism of his comments. Rather, he said, the challenge is intended to wipe out confusion about voting laws. Aiken lives in a Chatham County mansion but remains on Wake's voting rolls at his mother's Raleigh address - the precinct where he voted in October.

Why Aiken made 1A

Our recent article about Clay Aiken's criticism of the new Wake school board members riled some readers, who didn't think the story belonged on the front page.

The "American Idol" runner-up and Leesville Road High graduate used his blog to criticize newly elected board members as "selfish idiots."

Some readers questioned whether anyone cared about Aiken's comments and said only important news should go on the front page.

Wake GOP Chairman challenges Clay Aiken vote

The chairman of the Wake County Republican Party is challenging Clay Aiken's right to vote in the recent school board election, one week after the pop singer called the victorious GOP candidates " selfish idiots."

In a press release, Claude E. Pope Jr. noted that Aiken voted in Wake's fall election while living in a mansion in Chatham County. The singer's mother resides in Raleigh.

“All citizens and all political parties have an interest in rooting out instances of voter fraud," Pope said, "and for that reason I have filed this challenge in order to prevent Mr. Aiken from any future attempts to vote in a place where he is not legally a resident.”