Gaston elections director takes leave
The 2002 Gaston County election was one of the few mentioned in the now infamous Diebold Memos. The election this year was also marred by problems but they were much more public than before. The state election board called for an investigation into the problems. The list started with 5 items (”the county’s failure to reconcile the number of ballots with the number of voters; 14,000 votes omitted from the county’s unofficial results; a disparity in the recount of curbside ballots; the role played by subcontractors on Election Day; and problems with the recording of early votes”) but grew from there.
The general counsel, Don Wright, opened an investigation Monday into problems with Gaston County’s handling of the Nov. 2 election. On Tuesday, he began by asking why [Gaston Elections Director Sandra] Page had violated a direct order by opening several e-mails on her computer Monday afternoon.
“It appears in my dealings with you that you can’t understand in plain English instructions that would be understandable to the ordinary person,” Wright told Page. “Any time that you feel you can’t handle the job … you just do the right thing.”
Charlotte Observer | 11/24/2004 | Gaston elections director takes leave
Apparently, “the right thing” was to call in sick. Ms Page has announced that she will take a medical leave of absence until at least Jan. 1, 2005.