Emery White Was A Member Of The 2024 Bladen County Board Of Elections. [Bladen County Board of Elections, accessed 6/6/24]
Emery White Was A Republican. [North Carolina State Board of Elections County Board of Elections Members List, updated 11/1/23]
2019: Emery White Refused His Initial Nomination To The Elections Board, Leaving The Board With Too Few Members To Take Actions. “Meanwhile, a political stalemate is complicating the upcoming elections to fill the still-vacant congressional seat. A Republican nominated last month to the Bladen County elections board won't take his seat, leaving local oversight of voting uncertain ahead of next month's GOP primary election in the 9th District. Emery White was nominated by the state Republican Party, but his refusal leaves the five-member Bladen elections board with only two members, both of them Democrats - too few members to take actions like picking early-voting sites and counting absentee ballots. White's decision follows complaints by state Republican Party officials after the state elections board wouldn't reappoint other Bladen elections board members who served last year. State officials decided a fresh start was needed after Dowless, who has deep ties in local politics, was reported to be illegally collecting mail-in ballots for years without local or state authorities stopping him.” [Associated Press, 4/9/19]
May 2019: Emery White Condemned Corruption In Bladen County, Saying, “They Needed To Investigate Both Sides, Not Just One Side. They Needed To Go Both Sides And They Only Went One Side.” “Republican Emery White shares Democrat Patricia Sheppard's view that corruption in Bladen County elections has been a problem in the past but not just a GOP problem. ‘They needed to investigate both sides, not just one side. They needed to go both sides and they only went one side,’ White said.” [WUNC, 5/9/19]
February 2019: The State Board Of Elections Refused To Certify Mark Harris’ Win Over Dan McCready Due To Suspected Voting Irregularities In Bladen County. “Republican Mark Harris leads Democrat Dan McCready by about 900 votes in the race, but the former state board refused to certify the results because of suspected voting irregularities in Bladen and Robeson counties. Harris has acknowledged hiring Bladen County political operative McCrae Dowless to oversee absentee ballot operations in the county. Several people have told reporters that Dowless paid them to pick up mail-in ballots, a felony under North Carolina law due to tampering concerns. Dowless has, through his attorney, denied any wrongdoing, but he hasn't yet sat down with elections board investigators looking at the 9th District.” [WRAL, 2/4/19]
2019: The Bladen County Board Of Elections Eliminated Sunday Voting Because Emery White Opposed It And The Board Needed A Unanimous Decision. “Pending state approval, Bladen County will be casting ballots on two Saturdays but no Sundays in early voting for the upcoming general election Sept. 10. [...] The board of Democrats Louella Thompson, Patsy Sheppard and Deborah Belle, and Republican Emery White were unanimous in deciding the voting sites, dates and times. Discussion did include weekends, and specifically Sundays. The board said it wanted to have a site in Tar Heel because that would be more convenient to the majority of District 9 voters. They also said the hours would set up well for those who work at major plants in the area. In discussion for weekend voting, Belle and Thompson were advocates for Sunday voting. White was against it. Sheppard said she wasn't personally for it but understood why many do want it. The board, still one Republican short of full strength, was also aware that if all four didn't agree the state would set parameters -- meaning they might not get parts for which they agree. Thus, they eliminated Sundays.” [Bladen Journal, 7/3/19]
2019: Emery White Voted Against A Plan To Allow Sunday Voting Before The State’s Primary. "The county Board of Elections, to no surprise, at Wednesday meeting could not reach agreement on the issue for the early voting associated with the March 3 primary. Because the five-member panel of three Republicans and two Democrats were not unanimous, the state Board of Elections will make the decision for the county. [...] The board has two plans submitted to the state for early voting in the primary. The first would including Sunday voting from 1 to 5 p.m. on Feb. 16 and 23. The second does not include those dates. [...] Voting for the plan to include Sunday voting were Democrats Louella Thompson, the chairwoman, Deborah Belle and Patsy Sheppard. Against were Republican members Emery White and Michael Aycock.” [Bladen Journal, 12/6/19]
2020: Emery White Opposed Sunday Voting, Instead Drawing Up A Plan To Expand Voting Hours On Saturdays. “Democrats Thompson, Belle and Sheppard were successful -- and are now 2-for-2 -- getting Sunday voting included for just the second time in county history. Republicans Aycock and White were adamantly against it and had drawn up a plan with more hours on Saturdays. Karen Brinson Bell, the director for the state Board of Elections, had issued instruction for county boards to have at least 10 hours available on the weekends during early voting. The five-member state board settled any decisions for counties that were not unanimous, and not surprisingly placed Sunday voting in more than a dozen counties.” [Bladen Journal, 1/2/20]