...and you thought the election was over

     Dear Friends,
     With a little luck the election for the US House of Representatives in the 2nd Congressional District will finally end today.  This past Wednesday I had the chance to observe the recount in Vance County on behalf of the NRA endorsed candidate, Renee Ellmers.  The process was conducted by the County Board of Elections and started promptly at 9:00 and didn't end until 5:15.  Ballots were taken out of storage, machines were zeroed and then each and every ballot cast was fed into the machines again using the same process that was used after voting was completed on Election Day.  There were 10 people there observing the process on behalf of Mrs. Ellmers in addition to a lawyer from her legal team.  Mr. Etheridge was represented by a member of the NC Democratic Party, the chair of the Vance County Democratic Party as well as a lawyer from the Etheridge campaign.  The count was done without rancor with all of the participants working together to make sure that every ballot was counted in accordance with state law.  There were just a couple of minor disagreements that were resolved to everyone's satisfaction on the spot and in consultation with the NC State Board of Elections where necessary.  While it was tedious and about as much fun as watching paint dry I think that all who were there believed it was important and worthwhile.  I'd like to commend the Vance County Board of Elections for their professionalism and the diligence with which they conducted the recount.
     After tallying 4,414 votes cast, the result of the recount added just one vote for Mr. Etheridge while the tallies for Mrs. Ellmers and Mr. Rose were unchanged.  It struck me as remarkable that of the stacks and stacks of ballots that the resulting count was so consistent. I have no doubt that it was done fairly and equitably.
     Later today it is expected that the results of the recounts in all 10 counties in the 2nd District will be provided to the State Board of Elections who will in turn make the final tally from recount. They are expected to make that public later today.  If the process employed in Vance County is applied to the other nine counties is used, I am sure that the public and the respective candidates can trust that the results are fair and final.
     I am sure that all of us who have participated in this campaign will be happy to see it come to a conclusion and that we are looking forward to seeing our new Congressman at work representing our Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
     Sincerely yours,
     Tom Goffe