Mar. 15—Beverly Jean Messer-Evans is the newest member of the Haywood County Board of Elections.
She was recently appointed to take the place of Dave Miller, who resigned on Jan. 18, 2022 due to his plans to move out of state.
The five-member board oversees elections within Haywood County, ensuring all voting activities are conducted in accordance with state law.
Messer-Evans, a Republican, joins current board members Danny Davis, chairman; Elizabeth Norris, secretary, and board members June Ray and Howard Sorrells.
Prior to her appointment, Messer-Evans worked as a chief judge in several elections.
"I'm excited to be part of the election process," she said.
While there has been a lot of controversy about the election process, particularly about accusations of fraud, Messer-Evans said she doesn't believe there will be much blowback locally.
"I'm hoping we won't hear that," she said. "I'm a local Haywood County girl and a lot of people know me. That's one of the reasons I wanted to serve. Hopefully that will them feel confidence in the process."
The members of county election boards are equally divided between the two major political parties in the state and are nominated by party officials within each county. The chairman is from whichever party holds the governor's office.
Davis is a Democrat and a retired district court judge who was first appointed in 2019.
Ray, a Democrat, is the former long-time Clerk of District Court in Haywood, and Sorrells, also a Democrat, is a farmer in the Clyde area.
Norris, a Republican, has served on the board for eight years and has been both chairman and secretary during her tenure.