Democrats planning to fire widely respected elections director a day before election

The Democrat majority on the N.C. State Board of Elections is planning to fire elections director Kim Strach early next week, just a day before voters head to the polls in the 9th Congressional District.

Several members of the board confirmed to WRAL that their newly scheduled Monday meeting is to discuss replacing Strach with a new executive director.

Strach had worked for the State Board of Elections for two decades, originally as its lead investigator and then taking over as director in 2013 after Republican Gov. Pat McCrory’s new appointments to the board were seated.

However, Strach was widely respected on both sides of the aisle, regarded as a professional who did her job without regard for politics.

Elections director Kim Strach is a highly respected pro known for hour toughness, integrity and fairness. It would be a mistake for the Democrats to replace her.

— Rob Christensen (@oldpolhack) May 11, 2019

It’s unclear who Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper’s new appointees to the State Board of Elections will choose as her successor.

Democratic political consultant Sam Spencer of Charlotte called her impending firing a “dumb move.”

This might be an unpopular opinion, but by all accounts Kim has done a competent, non-partisan job in this role. She’s not a Republican who has made it harder for people to vote, unlike most of our #NCGA. Unless there is a performance issue, she should keep her job. https://t.co/F4LpVBUy53

— Sam Spencer (@choosesam) May 10, 2019

Should Strach’s firing come Monday, the state’s elections operation could be thrown into turmoil the day before a special election.

Tuesday is Election Day in the 9th Congressional District, where Republicans will choose between 10 candidates for the right to face Democrat Dan McCready in the general election.

The special election was called after the State Board of Elections invalidated the November 2018 race between Republican Mark Harris and McCready after allegations of absentee by mail election fraud.