County will hold do-over election after poll worker falsely told voters candidate was dead

The North Carolina State Board of Elections announced this Monday that they will re-do an election for a local race in Surry County after a poll worker reportedly falsely told at least one voter that one of the candidates was dead, WRAL reports.

“It is unfortunate what had happened and is certainly through no malice or ill will of anybody at the county,” said Damon Circosta, chairman of the state elections board. “But I think it goes to show that when issues arise, there’s procedures we have in which to remedy them and that’s where we are now.”

The new election will start on March 7 and will consist of candidates J. Wayne Atkins, Walter White, and John Jonczak, who placed first, second and third respectively in the November. A poll worker had wrongly claimed that Jonczak was dead when in fact it was Sharon Gates-Hodges who had died.

"Atkins, White and Jonczak will appear on the March ballot," WRAL's report stated. "The two highest vote-getters would then serve in office. During the November election, 619 ballots were cast in the commissioner’s race. Atkins had bested White by 17 votes and White had topped Jonczak by eight votes."