NC Board of Elections has 2 new members, after allegations end earlier appointment

The N.C. Board of Elections swore-in two new members a day after the governor rescinded the appointment of a third man accused of being in an abusive relationship by his ex-girlfriend.

Stacy “Four” Eggers IV and Tommy Tucker were sworn-in at the beginning of a regularly scheduled board meeting just 26 days before the general election.

Gov. Roy Cooper did not announce Eggers’s appointment until he was being sworn Thursday afternoon.

Cooper appointed Tucker on Tuesday, along with James “Carr” McLamb Jr.

But McLamb’s appointment lasted only 24 hours because his ex-girlfriend came forward in an Instagram post, to The News & Observer and to Cooper’s office, with allegations of abuse during their two-year relationship.

McLamb denied the allegations, but said in a written statement to The News & Observer that he agreed with Cooper that the Board of Elections did not need any distractions this close to the election.

The two vacancies became available earlier this month after the resignations of the board’s two Republican members, David Black and Ken Raymond. The Republican Party criticized a decision the men made to vote with the Democratic members for a settlement that would change absentee voting rules as the election was under way.

Eggers is a managing partner of the law firm Eggers, Eggers, Eggers, & Eggers and a town attorney for Beech Mountain, Banner Elk and the Village of Sugar Mountain. He also served as a member of the Watauga Board of Elections for eight years.

The five members on the elections board are split 3-2 in favor of the political party that controls the governor’s office — currently the Democrats. The governor appoints all five members to the board, but at least two of them must be from the opposing party.

Eggers, like McLamb and Tucker, was nominated for the board by the North Carolina Republican Party.

This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 5:00 PM.