Former Guilford County Commissioner Alan Branson, a Republican who lost the at-large Board of Commissioners race in the Tuesday, Nov. 8 election, has filed a complaint protesting the participation of a limited liability corporation (LLC) in the election.
Branson filed the complaint with Guilford County Board of Elections and the NC Board of Elections alleging that the Pleasant Guardians LLC had violated state election laws in its support of his opponent.
Branson lost to incumbent Democratic At-large Commissioner Kay Cashion, who collected 58 percent of the vote to Branson’s 42 percent.
Branson said this week that the Pleasant Guardians, formed earlier this year, procured and put up political signs and provided Cashion other support without registering with the Guilford County Board of Elections or with the state board.
Branson also said that he wanted to know when Cashion found out about the Pleasant Guardians and be assured that she wasn’t working with the organization.
The group, centered out of Pleasant Garden, posted signs with “Paid for by the Pleasant Guardians” on them at an early voting spot at the town hall and in other places around the county. The signs supported Cashion and other candidates who in 2017 had opposed a rezoning that would have allowed a rock quarry near Pleasant Garden.
Branson said the opposition against him from some in the town goes back to that fight when the Guilford County Board of Commissioners debated the quarry issue. Branson recused himself from the issue because his trucking company worked with the company proposing the plan, and, even though he didn’t participate in the decision, many saw him as a quarry advocate.
Branson told the Rhino Times this week that he believes the Pleasant Guardians acted outside the bounds of election law.
“One question I have for Kay is: When did she find out about it?” he said.
He also said that the first signs went up on or about Saturday, Oct. 22 and he saw them soon after. He said he did some research and discovered that the Pleasant Guardians hadn’t filed the requisite paperwork with county or state elections officials.
Branson said he immediately phoned Guilford County Board of Elections Director Charlie Collicutt to discuss his concerns.
This week, Branson filed his protests with the county and state elections boards.
He said that, given the margin of the Cashion’s victory, he doesn’t believe the Pleasant Guardians cost him the seat. (In fact, Branson won the Pleasant Garden precincts.) However, he added, the matter needs to be investigated and he would like to see appropriate fines levied if state campaign finance laws were violated.
Branson is no newbie to lodging components with the elections boards. He fought a very close race that cost him his commissioners seat two years ago, and he also filed a protest arguing that Guilford County had used taxpayer funds illegally to promote the passage of the $1.7 billion school bond referendum on the ballot earlier this year.
Can this man not take a HINT! Go Away! We do NOT want you as our representative!! For ANY office!
And yes, I am a lifelong Eastern Guilford County resident!
I really don’t care what you think James L. I too am a life long resident and a conservative who follows Election Laws. If you don’t know the rules and play unfairly, I will continue to call whoever out if I am a resident tax paying citizen or Elected Official. Keep drinking the Kool Aide Mr. Educator. You are part of the problem not me. May God Bless your weary soul.
“I don’t care what you think….” Maybe…just maybe…that is why you lost.
Being “no newbie” to the local political arena I believe Mr. Branson is more often right than wrong. Our current political laws are woefully inadequate and do not assure an easy fair election process.
I’m in favor of limiting campaign donations to registered active voters within their own precincts, districts, and states. I’m also in favor of term limits.
It’s time we brought our election process into the 21st century. How can so many countries be so far behind us in technology yet hold an election and have all votes counted by midnight the day of election?
Remove the special interest groups controlling local, stat, and federal elections. Limit spending, and eliminate early voting. Then declare Election Day a National Holiday. Perhaps more than 49 percent of registered voters will participate.
Do the math, 49% of 100 is 49., meaning the other 51% are willing to be led around by a minority of the country. And 49% was this election cycle. Many years the percentage drops to less than 20.
My recommendations for election reform were sent to Gov. Cooper and all NC representatives who represent my district in Raleigh June 9, 2021. Know how many responses or acknowledgements I received? None. Here are the recommendations:
• Photo voter ID. This is required in all walks of life, why not voting?
• No early voting. Voting should be as in the past limited to one day. To facilitate this, as many precincts should be opened to assure access and a short wait time. This would be less expensive than early voting.
• November election day should be declared a state holiday. This would emphasize the importance of participating in a democracy and to give everyone time to vote.
• Polls should be open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Thirteen hours to vote at a neighborhood precinct.
• Absentee ballots would be available to those in the military and to those who verify that they will not be available to vote in-person. Otherwise, no mail-in ballots.
• Paper ballots only should be used for voting which can then be read by a machine that has been certified tamper-proof. The paper ballot would be inserted into the machine by the voter.
• Out-of-state students must vote in their state of residence, not in their college town. This proposal would help eliminate voter fraud by students who may vote twice. It would also prevent out-of-state students voting for a bond issue that leaves residents paying for the bond long after the out-of-state student returns to their home state.
Good luck. You know you are dealing with democrats.
Isn’t it time The Rhino Times stopped giving Branson a public forum for his flailing self-promotion? The guy has lost two elections and always questions the integrity of everyone he fantasizes could have cost him the vote. He has no credibility at all and seemingly very little integrity.
Guilford County is done with Alan Branson. It’s time to just walk away