NEW HANOVER COUNTY — The New Hanover County Board of Elections is now in need of a new director.
READ MORE: ‘Nothing nefarious’: BOE approves 3 more voting sites, previews possible changes next year
Elections Director Rae Hunter-Havens announced her retirement on Tuesday, “effective immediately,” citing health reasons. Hunter-Havens served the county election’s office for 14 years, the last eight as director, and will remain in a consulting role to the BOE until next spring.
Following the board’s regularly scheduled meeting, the BOE entered a closed session to discuss “personnel matters.” Hunter-Havens and board chair Jamie Getty announced her retirement in a statement following the meeting.
Port City Daily reached out to Hunter-Havens and board of elections members, who were sworn in back in July, but a response was not received by press.
Both included statements in the press release that was sent out Tuesday evening announcing the change.
“It has been an honor to serve the voters of New Hanover County and to work alongside such a capable and dedicated team,” Hunter-Havens wrote. “I have every confidence the Board and staff will continue this important work through the election and beyond.”
“Rae has given years of service to this community, and we appreciate her commitment to public service,” Getty added. “The Board of Elections staff are prepared and ready to administer the upcoming municipal election with the fairness, accuracy, and transparency that voters expect and deserve.”
To help manage the transition, New Hanover County noted in a press release sent Wednesday morning, it will provide administrative and logistical support until the State Board of Elections appoints an interim director. Hunter-Havens will remain under contract with the county to provide consulting services through April 1, 2026, to assist with transition efforts and to ensure her availability through next year’s primary election cycle. The cost of the contract for the county is $68,984.
The county also clarified the BOE retains statutory authority over all election decisions, though added the upcoming November election will be “fair, secure, and uninterrupted” and meet the “highest standards of accuracy, transparency, and public trust.”
Hunter-Havens’ departure comes just weeks before the November municipal election and follows a year of conflict between the BOE and New Hanover County administration regarding budgeting, early voting sites and election procedures.
Issues began in November 2024 after the presidential election when the BOE created an administrative deadline causing them to miss the state law requirement to count all received absentee ballots on Election Day. The decision meant about 2,000 mail-in ballots received in the final days were not counted on election night as mandated by state law. County officials, including County Manager Chris Coudriet, expressed frustration and concern, stating the BOE’s action caused unnecessary confusion in several close races.
The BOE claimed the delay was necessary due to the volume of absentee ballots received late in the voting period, increased curbside voting, and the complex verification steps of the North Carolina photo voter ID law. However, a subsequent third-party review conducted by the Parker Poe Law Firm affirmed that the BOE knew the altered deadline conflicted with state statute.
The issues did not end there, however, as Hunter-Havens warned in June without $261,000 in enhancement requests from the county, it could result in cutting the number of early voting sites from four to one, due to limited staffing, for the 2025 municipal election. Though enhancements were at first agreed to by the county on June 12, they failed to make it into the final budget due to some commissioners wanting to make the tax rate revenue neutral and mandating cuts to get there.
The three sites initially proposed for removal were the Carolina Beach Town Hall, the Cape Fear Community College location, and the NHC Senior Resource Center, but after public outcry over voter accessibility, the BOE ultimately approved a plan with four early voting sites. There will be reduced operating hours at the three of the satellite locations to accommodate the BOE budget and staffing constraints.
The conflict over early voting sites was rooted in the larger county budget dispute. Hunter-Havens publicly declared that the BOE’s funding was a reduction and the planned removal of two staff positions put “election integrity on the line.” She stated staffing cuts — specifically a data systems specialist and a logistics coordinator — would severely reduce the BOE’s capacity to administer the municipal election.
County officials countered that the BOE’s concerns were unwarranted, stating the elections office’s overall budget was actually increasing by more than $344,000 from the previous year and the positions flagged for removal were actually vacant for a while. Following an emergency BOE meeting on June 18, the county’s human resources department ultimately restored the two positions. In exchange, a third position — a communications specialist that was being transferred to the BOE — was removed.
Have tips or suggestions for Charlie Fossen? Email charlie@localdailymedia.com
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