- Oct 17, 2011
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In January, the GOP assumed control of the Buckingham County Electoral Board that oversees her office, and local Republicans began advancing baseless voter fraud claims that baffled her. The electoral board made it clear it wanted her out of the job.
“There were people saying that they had heard all these rumors — that the attorney general was going to indict me,” Taylor said, days after leaving the office for the last time. “Mentally, I just — I couldn’t take it anymore.”
Three weeks ago, frustrated and heartbroken, Taylor, along with two part-time staffers, quit. Their resignations followed a deputy registrar who left in February, citing the same conflict.
The four departures left residents without a functioning registrar’s office; there was no way to register to vote or certify candidate paperwork, at least temporarily.
A state elections worker arrived in town a week later to try to pick up the pieces, looking through drawers and opening the mail, as the two remaining members of the electoral board — both Republicans, because the one Democrat had also recently quit — began the difficult process of restaffing a completely barren department.
“A lot of election officials I’ve talked to are asking themselves: Why am I doing this? Why am I getting paid like a civil servant to be constantly harassed?” said David Becker, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation and Research that helps support election officials. “Whether it’s the intent or not, the effect is to drive a lot of these public servants — upon who we’ve relied for decades in some cases — out of the field, which will leave elections more vulnerable than they’ve been before.”
The allegations (of election irregularities) — minor or not — quickly consumed the community.
Electoral board meetings, historically sleepy affairs drawing one or two members of the public, quickly became packed and contentious events.
After that, Sheriff W.G. “Billy” Kidd Jr. said he started assigning deputies to the meetings.
The board members now face the difficult task of restaffing an office they’ve worked with for mere weeks. Cerwinski was appointed to the electoral board ahead of the March 10 meeting; Banks-Bertwell took up her position in January. The electoral board’s most experienced member, Democrat Gail Braxton, recently stepped down as well.
At the most recent meeting of the Buckingham County Electoral Board in late March, Braxton said the board had completed an investigation into the issues Christian raised and found no violations of law. Several days later, she resigned from the electoral board.
“The next [registrar] will have zero experience. The board won’t have any experience. I would say at least half of the officers of elections are going to quit,” [a former boardmember] said, referring to poll workers. “Who’s going to work the election?”
“There were people saying that they had heard all these rumors — that the attorney general was going to indict me,” Taylor said, days after leaving the office for the last time. “Mentally, I just — I couldn’t take it anymore.”
Three weeks ago, frustrated and heartbroken, Taylor, along with two part-time staffers, quit. Their resignations followed a deputy registrar who left in February, citing the same conflict.
The four departures left residents without a functioning registrar’s office; there was no way to register to vote or certify candidate paperwork, at least temporarily.
A state elections worker arrived in town a week later to try to pick up the pieces, looking through drawers and opening the mail, as the two remaining members of the electoral board — both Republicans, because the one Democrat had also recently quit — began the difficult process of restaffing a completely barren department.
“A lot of election officials I’ve talked to are asking themselves: Why am I doing this? Why am I getting paid like a civil servant to be constantly harassed?” said David Becker, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation and Research that helps support election officials. “Whether it’s the intent or not, the effect is to drive a lot of these public servants — upon who we’ve relied for decades in some cases — out of the field, which will leave elections more vulnerable than they’ve been before.”
'I am putting you on notice — for treason!'
Buckingham County is rural and conservative; there are more cattlethan registered voters.The allegations (of election irregularities) — minor or not — quickly consumed the community.
Electoral board meetings, historically sleepy affairs drawing one or two members of the public, quickly became packed and contentious events.
After that, Sheriff W.G. “Billy” Kidd Jr. said he started assigning deputies to the meetings.
The board members now face the difficult task of restaffing an office they’ve worked with for mere weeks. Cerwinski was appointed to the electoral board ahead of the March 10 meeting; Banks-Bertwell took up her position in January. The electoral board’s most experienced member, Democrat Gail Braxton, recently stepped down as well.
At the most recent meeting of the Buckingham County Electoral Board in late March, Braxton said the board had completed an investigation into the issues Christian raised and found no violations of law. Several days later, she resigned from the electoral board.
“The next [registrar] will have zero experience. The board won’t have any experience. I would say at least half of the officers of elections are going to quit,” [a former boardmember] said, referring to poll workers. “Who’s going to work the election?”
