Newly Republican controlled NC elections board votes to oust its longtime director
In its first meeting Wednesday, the new Republican majority on the North Carolina State Board of Elections voted to replace the agency’s longtime director with a lawyer who worked for state Republican leaders.
In a 3-2 vote, the board appointed Sam Hayes as its executive director, ousting current director Karen Brinson Bell, who has served in the position since 2019.
Since 2021, Hayes has served as general counsel for the North Carolina speaker of the House, both under Tim Moore and Destin Hall. Hayes also ran for attorney general in 2020 as a Republican, but lost the primary.
Hayes was not present at the meeting, and members of the board discussed his appointment in closed session, not commenting on his qualifications during the vote.
“I see a lot of challenges here, but a lot of opportunities as well,” Hayes told The News & Observer later Wednesday. “It was pointed out that I am not an election administrator. However, I have certainly had a big hand in elections law in the state and election litigation, so I think I have something to offer this position.”
As general counsel for the House speakers, Hayes has defended the state’s voter ID law and GOP redistricting plans in gerrymandering lawsuits.
In a statement, State Auditor Dave Boliek, who appointed the board’s new Republican majority, said, “Sam has the experience and integrity to properly manage the State Board of Elections. He’s worked across state agencies, and as an accomplished attorney he brings a sharp legal mind to the table. With his background and dedication, I’m confident in his leadership capabilities to improve election management in North Carolina. This is a great hire.”
The North Carolina Democratic Party quickly criticized the hire, calling Hayes an “extreme Republican.”
“Today, as their very first act since taking over the board, Dave Boliek’s cronies chose to remove a career professional from her role so that he could appoint a loyalist who will carry out their partisan agenda,” Dawson McNamara-Bloom, a spokesperson for the party, said in a statement.
The party noted that Hayes has ties to the conservative Club For Growth, which spent millions supporting candidates who questioned the results of the 2020 election.
Hayes will take office on May 15, the day Brinson Bell’s two-year term ends.
Brinson Bell removed after 19 years in elections
Brinson Bell asked to give farewell remarks before the meeting ended, but new Republican board member Bob Rucho moved to adjourn the meeting before she could do so.
She stayed behind in the conference room to address the audience and the board’s two Democratic members, who did not leave after adjournment.
In an emotional speech, Brinson Bell said that after spending 19 years in elections she found it to be “more than a profession — it’s a passion.”
“I hope we can get to a place in this country, and especially in this state that I hold so dear, where dedicated, hardworking election workers are supported and rewarded for their work, rather than vilified by those who don’t like the outcome,” she said. “I hope we return to a time when those who lost elections concede defeat rather than trying to tear down the entire election system and erode voter confidence. And I hope we recognize that the conduct of elections is the very core of our democracy.”
Republicans have criticized the State Board of Elections for years, and frequently targeted Brinson Bell, sometimes hauling her into legislative hearings where they questioned her decision making.
She oversaw elections through the COVID-19 pandemic, Hurricane Helene and most recently, the contested 2024 state Supreme Court race.
Just minutes into Wednesday’s meeting, Jefferson Griffin, the Republican candidate challenging his loss in that election, conceded the race to Democrat Allison Riggs.
While Republicans have derided Brinson Bell’s leadership, the board has often received national recognition for its work, including four U.S. Election Assistance Commission Clearinghouse Awards.
Before the board voted to oust Brinson Bell, Democratic board member Jeff Carmon listed off her accomplishments as director, which included presiding over two of the highest-turnout elections in the state’s history in 2020 and 2024.
“You took us through two very contentious elections — one that has been conceded to today,” he said. “You kept us out of the national spotlight as much as possible. I thank you, I appreciate you and I wish you nothing but success moving forward.”
Board members elect De Luca as new chair
Wednesday’s meeting comes just one week after Republicans took control of the elections board under a new law passed by the GOP-controlled legislature. That law, which Republicans passed in the final days of their veto-proof supermajority, stripped Democratic Gov. Josh Stein of his power to appoint the board’s members and transferred it to the state auditor, a position which had just been won by a Republican for the first time in 16 years.
Stein sued over the changes and won at the trial level, with a panel of judges agreeing that the law was unconstitutional. But, the state Court of Appeals later reversed that ruling in an unsigned order without explaining its reasoning.
With the law allowed to take effect, Boliek, the auditor, appointed three Republicans and two Democrats to the board last week.
The board then voted Wednesday to elect Francis De Luca, one of the new Republican members, as its chair in a 3-2 vote. The Democratic members said they would have preferred that Stacy “Four” Eggers, a longtime Republican board member, be the chair instead.
“My aim is that we get things so that we have fair elections, make voting easy and make sure we follow the law and make sure there’s trust in the election system,” De Luca said after his election.
The Republican members of the board also resisted efforts to keep Carmon as its secretary, instead electing Eggers to the position.
The new board could be poised to make substantial changes to how the state conducts its elections.
When Griffin challenged his election loss, the case first went to the State Board of Elections, which dismissed his claims — albeit mostly along party lines.
The North Carolina Republican Party helped Griffin litigate his case from the beginning. Hayes, whose employment with the speaker is separate from the official party apparatus, said he did not participate in the case.
“I think he (Griffin) had some valid legal points, but I have not been involved in that case whatsoever,” he told The N&O. “He is a terrific friend to me and he is a fantastic jurist and I want only the best for him.”
This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 11:50 AM.
