‘Get off Facebook.’ Local election officials warned over partisan posts

Members of the State Board of Elections admonished county election board members to “get off Facebook” and “delete your Twitter account,” as they reviewed the latest complaints of improper social media posts by local election officials.

The state board ultimately voted 4-1 last week to reject a pair of complaints filed by local Republican Party leader Jane Pait against two members of the Bladen County Board of Elections, who she accused of posting statements on Facebook that disparaged President Donald Trump.

One of the posts in question involved an image of Trump’s face superimposed on the head of a lion with the caption “The Lyin’ King.”

County elections board members aren’t allowed to publicly endorse or oppose candidates for election, but there’s been some dispute about whether criticism of an elected leader fits that legal definition. Board members also questioned whether the Facebook posts that Pait presented were authentic and made after the officials joined the elections board.

The state elections board has been addressing similar complaints from other counties for months.

“We have spent a disproportionate time on social media posts,” chairman Damon Circosta said. “It absolutely has to stop. ... Stop posting on social media, look back at your own social media.”

Board member David Black echoed those concerns.

“It’s important that you not seem to be biased in any way when you’re talking to the public,” Black said. “Get off Facebook, delete your Twitter account. ... It’s just not worth the effort to try to make those types of posts.”

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