LUMBERTON — With the provisional ballots counted, Lumberton City Councilman Leon Maynor still holds his one-vote margin over Laura Sampson — but the outcome hinges on 16 challenges that will be heard on Friday by the Robeson County Board of Elections.

Maynor initially filed 11 voter challenges for the Nov. 3 municipal election and Sampson filed 18, mostly dealing with voters’ residences. During a nearly nine-hour canvassing process on Tuesday, 13 of those challenges were dismissed or dropped in preliminary hearings. Residents who cast the challenged votes are being asked to testify during hearings at the Board of Elections beginning at 10 a.m. on Friday.

Elections officials certified every Robeson County race but the hotly-contested Precinct 7 council race between Maynor and Sampson during canvassing. The canvass did not change the outcomes of any of the races, although some write-in candidates were declared winners.

During Tuesday’s hearings, election officials revealed that one voter who was given the incorrect ballot had written in Sampson’s name. Following a hand-count, the ballot was cast in her favor, bringing the margin back to one vote.

Elections Board Chairman Steve Stone said the board is certain no one else was given the incorrect ballot. Elections officials sorted out all of the ballots from that polling site and compared the write-in entry with a hand-written document the voter provided stating who he had voted for.

“One vote did not fall through the system,” Stone said.

Maynor and Sampson two faced off for the first time in 2007, with Maynor winning the seat by one vote. A recount request by Sampson resulted in a tie at 214 votes each, and Maynor took the council seat comfortably following a do-over election.

Stone said canvassing this year took longer than usual because the board was unable to close the books on the close Precinct 7 race, but that fewer challenges were filed.

“The challenges we received were on the low side and the challenges we’ll hear Friday are definitely on the low side,” he said.

Elections officials on Tuesday also conducted a preliminary hearing on a protest filed in Parkton.

Robert Hill and his wife, Robin Hill, who sits on the Parkton Board of Aldermen and serves as the town’s police commissioner, say Doris Underwood, who was re-elected to her seat on the board Nov. 3, does not live at the address she provided the Board of Elections when registering for office. The Hills say Underwood lives next door, in a home just on the other side of town limits. Underwood was not at Tuesday’s hearing.

No determination was made and a formal hearing will be held at an undetermined date.

It was the only protest filed regarding board or candidate conduct, although voters have until 5 p.m. Friday to file such complaints. The deadline to file residency challenges was Election Day.

All three candidates who ran for mayor of Lumberton gained votes, but Bruce Davis still came out on top. During canvassing Davis gained 12 votes, bringing his total to 1,522; Lumberton City Councilman Don Metzger gained 13, bringing his total to 1,454; and City Councilman John Cantey gained five, bringing his total to 467.

Pembroke mayor-elect Allen Dial gained a more comfortable lead over Greg Cummings. Cummings picked up two votes during canvassing, adding up to a total of 192, while Dial snagged six more for a total of 203.

Red Springs Commissioner David Shook was not able to make up enough votes during canvassing to knock challenger Shearlie McBryde from a third open seat on that board. McBryde, incumbent Duron Burney and challenger Carolina Sumpter will fill the spots.

Longtime St. Pauls Mayor Gordon Westbrook gained a vote, but still remains two votes behind Commissioner Jerry Weindel to hold the mayor’s seat.

Several seats no one filed to win were awarded to write-in candidates during the certification process.

In Lumber Bridge, Randy Russ and Allen Brunett were election to the council. Dean Carter snagged 18 write-in votes and the third open council seat in McDonald; the other two available seats went to incumbents Dannie Bacot and William Allen Britt.

Wilton Caulder will serve as Orrum’s mayor after getting three write-in votes. That town’s council will be filed entirely with write-in candidates. They are Jessie Stephens, Danny Anderson, Cleo Smith and Gene Horne.

Write-in candidates were not victorious in their bid for seats on the Parkton Board of Alderman. Incumbents Hill, Underwood, Wanda Brown Matute, Nathaniel Solomon and challenger Annette McKelvie McColl were named winners Tuesday.

Sarah Willets | The Robesonian Robeson County elections officials on Tuesday were able to certify every race in the recent municipal election except the race for Lumberton City Council Precinct 7, in which incumbent Leon Maynor has maintained his one-vote lead over challenger Laura Sampson.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_IMG_3332.jpgSarah Willets | The Robesonian Robeson County elections officials on Tuesday were able to certify every race in the recent municipal election except the race for Lumberton City Council Precinct 7, in which incumbent Leon Maynor has maintained his one-vote lead over challenger Laura Sampson.

By Sarah Willets

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Sarah Willets can be reached at 910-816-1974 or on Twitter @Sarah_Willets.