WADESBORO — Anson County Democrats showed up in full force Saturday morning to vote for the chair, vice-chair and delegates who will attend a county convention on Dec. 3 to elect the next sheriff.
Citizens of the Wadesboro precinct alone exceeded the 180-person maximum capacity of the Hampton B. Allen Library. Instead of a group meeting of each precinct, voters from each precinct group were shuffled in and out of the building while remaining clusters waited their turn to vote outside in the parking lot.
Lead-up to Saturday’s meeting
The Anson County Democratic Party’s selection of Gerald Cannon to succeed Sheriff Landric Reid was overturned by the North Carolina Democratic Party after a previous Executive Committee Meeting violated the processes and rules laid out in the party’s plan of organization.
The primary petitioner for that grievance was Sheriff Scott Howell, who was appointed to fill the unfinished term of Reid on Oct. 4 by the Anson County Board of Commissioners until December.
Anson County Democratic Party Chairman Dannie Montgomery had prepared a list of voters at the previous meeting that was incorrect due to improper structuring of the voting precincts. A uniformed Wadesboro Town Police officer prevented voters from attending the meeting due to Montgomery’s list.
Proxy voting was allowed at the executive meeting in writing or by a selected delegate, although those votes were incorrectly gathered in Anson County via text message or an unofficial delegate. Montgomery testified that she prepared proxies and signed them herself on behalf of other persons.
Additionally, notice of the Executive Committee Meeting was not given to all committee members at the same time, and proper email notification was not included in the notice.
One petitioner, Gloria Overcash, a former two-time party chair and 2020 Democratic nominee for NC House District 55, stated that during a Zoom call between the NCDP and interested parties to address the incident, Montgomery refused to provide the names of the list of the voters that was prepared for the illegal meeting.
“Shock and disgust,” Overcash said was her reaction to the incident. “She didn’t want to have a fair election. She did everything that she could so that Sgt. Cannon, her personal choice, would become the sheriff.”
Overcash said she’s filed an additional petition to remove Montgomery as chair.
“I am not going to stop in my efforts to remove Dannie Montgomery as the chair of the Anson County Democratic Party,” Overcash said. “We can’t have this.”
Saturday’s meeting
Only registered Democrats were able to vote and attend the meeting of each precinct. Registration was checked by Montgomery, who was appointed by NCDP Chair Dr. Bobbi Richardson to serve as temporary chair, and Chris Hardee, President of the Coastal Caucus of the NCDP. Voters were given a link to a QR code to the state Board of Elections website where their information could be verified.
Each precinct is granted a different number of votes based on its population. For example, Ansonville is allotted four votes at the upcoming Executive County Meeting, split between the chair and vice-chair, while Morven is allotted seven votes. Delegates in each precinct will vote for a new set of county officers at the county convention.
Voting was accomplished via a raise of hands for each precinct and was tallied by Hardee. Secret ballots are not permitted by the state’s organizational plan. For votes that were within a margin of error of a few votes, they were tabulated again.
“I came out to make sure we’re choosing the right ones and make sure everything is fair,” said voter Warren Allen.
Hardee said this is the first time that’s he organized a county with such a significant outcome pending the re-organization.
“It is great to have such participation in the precinct and county organizing process,” Hardee said. “We look forward to organizing the county and nominating an outstanding Democratic sheriff.”
In the Ansonville precinct meeting, Angela Caraway and Cannon vied for the chair position. They both had under one minute to address their precinct voters.
“My goal is to make sure that we come together and unite,” Caraway said, elaborating about her involvement in the community.
“If you don’t know me, if you have children under the age of 35 in this county, they know me,” Cannon said. “They know about my work ethic and my character.”
Caraway was elected chair for Ansonville by a few votes. After each vote for chair, a vote for vice-chair immediately followed.
“Your vice chair, has to be of a different gender than your chair, and where possible, a different race,” Hardee told each voting precinct. This policy is set out in the bylaws of the North Carolina Democratic Party.
For example, if a black woman was nominated for chair, the vice-chair must not identify was a woman or identify as black. This policy seemed to draw from different voters across precincts, regardless of gender or race.
During the vote tabulation for the Morven chair between Sylvester Bennett and Robert Mims, Sheriff Howell asked for a redo of the since it was extremely narrow. During the second vote, Howell said he observed Montgomery telling people to change their vote and asked for a redo of the vote. Afterwards, Montgomery said she was merely speaking to her sister and pastor and denied it was about the vote.
After Bennett, a black male, was nominated for the Morven chair, a vice-chair, who did not identify as black or male, needed to be elected as vice-chair. A woman, who appeared to be black, volunteered her name for vice-chair, stating that she was white and American-Indian.
“That’s uncalled for,” called one precinct member from the back. Hardee was unable to verify the individual’s voter registration info, and the name was revoked from consideration. Later, Hardee confirmed that an individual’s voter registration information is self-selected, per state law.
“People are so excited about democracy in action that they hung around,” Montgomery said. “We’re just excited that so many people are interested and had the patience to wait,” adding that the day was “exciting, but exhausting.”
“The fact that people care this much is encouraging — It’s a positive sign for the entire county,” said Gerald Cannon. “To see this many people engaged in this race is really a checkmark for this county.”
Cannon said he will continue to serve this county regardless of the outcome of this race.
“It’s been a much fairer process,” Howell said about Saturday’s voting process.
Text message stirs community
A text message that is alleged to have been sent by active Anson County Commissioner Vancine Sturdivant drew over 100 comments and shares after it was posted on Facebook. Sturdivant did not seek re-election and her term will expire next month in December.
“I need as many as you can contact from Anson County, especially Morven, Wadesboro and Lilesville,” reads the phone message. “Our young males can not take 4 years of this racist. Please Come. Please do not put on Facebook. I love you. Momma V”
Sturdivant did not respond to an email to verify the authenticity of the message.
“It’s frustrating as a citizen to see how underhanded they’re trying to do this,” said an individual whose wife received the alleged message from a mutual friend, who allegedly received it from Sturdivant.
Jerel Miller, a registered Republican who was unable to vote at the meeting, said he was present to keep an eye on the nomination process. Miller was disappointed that Montgomery was appointed to chair the local Democratic Party again.
“This race isn’t about Scott Howell or Gerald Cannon,” Miller said. “This is about the corrupt Anson County Democrat Party versus Sheriff Reid’s legacy.”
New county officers will be selected at a county convention on Dec. 3. Immediately following that meeting, a County Executive Committee will elect the nominee for Sheriff.
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Reach Matthew Sasser at 910-817-2671 or msasser@yourdailyjournal.com. To suggest a correction, email editor@yourdailyjournal.com.