Overview:
• More than 20 people went to a Board of Elections meeting room on Thursday. Most were there to protest the pending firing of the elections director.
• Democrats and activists said the effort by the board’s Republican majority to fire Amaro is politically motivated, designed to bias elections in favor of Republicans.
Cumberland County Elections Director Angie Amaro was put on paid administrative leave by the county elections board while a petition to fire her is pending with the state, a source with knowledge of the situation told CityView on Friday.
Through an intermediary, Amaro declined to comment.
On April 2, the three Republicans on the five-person elections board petitioned the executive director of the N.C. State Board of Elections to have Amaro dismissed. Under state law, decisions to hire and fire county elections directors lie with the state director and the state elections board.
Amaro received notice of the petition on April 18 and has 15 days from then, which is May 3, to file a response. The petition lists the reasons that the board members are asking for her to be fired.
Amaro was on leave as of Friday after the Cumberland County Board of Elections gathered for a specially called meeting on Thursday and then met privately with several staff members from the county and the elections office. The public was excluded from this nearly 90-minute session.
The meeting drew about 25 visitors—an unusually high number for an elections board meeting. Most were there to protest against the effort to fire Amaro.
Protesters: ‘Keep Angie. Fire Linda’
After the meeting was closed to the public, around a dozen protesters waited in nearby hallways for it to reopen. Some put their protest signs on the walls in the halls.
They said they were with local activist groups and Democratic organizations. They included Common Cause, the Fayetteville chapter of the National Organization for Women, Fayetteville Freedom for All, Action NC, The Democratic Women of Cumberland County, Cumberland County Senior Democrats, the college Democrats at Fayetteville State University, and the Fayetteville Resistance Coalition.
Some carried hand-made signs expressing displeasure with the elections board, including “Careful! Your partisanship is showing,” “Protect Election Workers,” and “Keep Angie. Fire Linda.”
Linda Devore, a Republican, is the chair of the elections board. She became the chair in July after the Republican-majority state legislature enacted a law in late 2024 to make all county election boards and the state board majority Republican.
Reasons to Fire Remain Private
Devore has said state law prevents her discussing why the three Republicans want Amaro fired.
“In NC it is even a Class 3 misdemeanor to share confidential personnel information,” Devore told CityView via text on Wednesday. “The laws are intended to protect the employee. Our board members are reminded of this in closed sessions.”
On Friday, the two Democratic elections board members declined to confirm that Amaro is on administrative leave. Irene Grimes and Derek Edmonds, who voted against holding the closed session, said they are prohibited from disclosing personnel matters discussed during the closed session.
The petition for Amaro’s dismissal, coupled with the secrecy, fueled speculation among Democrats and activists that the Republicans on the election board are trying to push Amaro out to replace her with someone who will run the elections office in a partisan manner. They see this as part of a statewide push by Republicans to make the elections offices biased in favor of the GOP.
“I see them getting a Republican director,” said Carrol Olinger, who is with NOW and Action NC. “I think that they already partially have control, so why not have more? And they’ll have free rein to do whatever the heck they want.”
Rita McMillian, a Fayetteville Democrat, made a sign with poster paper and kitchen wallpaper with an owl pattern to show her support for Amaro. “Stop this wrongful firing!!” said one side, and “Stop this unfairness, firing mess,” on the other.
“Every time you turn around, the Republicans—firing, firing, and hiring who they want. And for what I understand, that’s wrong,” she said.
Gary Maher, also a Fayetteville Democrat, said in the past that he’s registered as an independent and ran for office as a Republican. “By undermining the trust in institutions, in traditional institutions and practices, they’re ultimately undermining the trust in their own party,” he said.
Maher said the process has been unfair to Amaro. If there are problems with her job performance, the Republican-controlled elections board should give her the opportunity to address them, he said.
“I’m acknowledging there could be reasons,” Maher said. “If there are, then just make them known.”
Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com.
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