NC’s Republican-controlled elections board fired an award-winning, non-partisan director. Read her forceful goodbye.

Republicans fired Karen Brinson Bell then tried to prevent her from thanking elections staff. When she began to speak anyway, Republican members walked out of the room. Here are her full remarks. 

In February, Karen Brinson Bell, North Carolina’s executive director of the State Board of Elections, was elected by her counterparts across the country to lead the National Association of State Election Directors. This was one of many national awards and moments of recognition Brinson Bell garnered while helping to ensure the state’s elections run smoothly and securely.

North Carolina successfully voted in large numbers through a pandemic, the aftermath of hurricanes and endless streams of disinformation. 

On Wednesday, she was fired by a new Republican majority on the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

The new board replaced Brinson Bell with Sam Hayes, an attorney for the same Republican lawmakers in the NC General Assembly who accused election officials of partisanship for enacting rulings they didn’t like. Hayes has ties to groups that suggested Joe Biden stole the 2020 election from Donald Trump.

The change in leadership is a result of a new law, passed by Republican lawmakers, giving the Republican state auditor the power to name election officials. For a century in North Carolina, that power belonged to the governor, regardless of what party the governor belonged to. The current governor, Josh Stein, a Democrat, went to court to block it. Republicans in the state courts system let the law continue.

The legislature characterized their takeover of the elections board as a step to ensure fairness on the panel, but their appointees are all hyper-partisan Republicans with lengthy work in the party, including former top GOP lawmaker Bob Rucho and longtime Republican activist Francis De Luca, who was named chair of the board. 

Before the new board adjourned, Brinson Bell asked to say a few words to thank election staff for their work over her tenure. The new board chair, Francis De Luca, told her no, and talked over her as she asked again.

Brinson Bell began to speak anyway. The Republican members of the board stood up and left. The two Democratic members stayed.

Here are the full prepared remarks Brinson Bell gave in her final BOE meeting.

‘We set records and restored confidence in our election systems’

Six years ago, I was appointed executive director for the North Carolina State Board of Elections, a role I never envisioned I would hold but what I know will forever be the greatest honor of my life. While I would have liked to have continued to serve the county election boards and the voters of North Carolina in this capacity, this State Board has made a different decision.

Knowing this will be the last State Board meeting in my tenure as North Carolina’s chief election official, I’d like to first say thank you to the prior State Board members for having the faith that I could lead this organization back to place where voters have renewed confidence in our elections following the turmoil of the Congressional District 9 election in 2018. With my appointment, the Board charged me to steer this agency and our statewide efforts towards a proactive position, where the administration of elections ensured well trained election professionals, uniform and efficient processes, and a commitment to customer service and making sure that every eligible voter in our state could exercise their right to vote. Even through 70 changes in county election directors, we set records and restored confidence in our election systems. 

In 2020, we had the highest voter turnout in our state ever at 75.4%, followed by the second highest turnout in the 2024 Presidential Election at 73.7%. We set three other records in 2024: the highest voter population in state history at over 7.8 million registered voters, the most voters ever served at 5.7+ million ballots cast, and the most votes ever cast during the early voting period at 4.2+ million. Last year’s records were set despite the devastation of Hurricane Helene, and in 2020 we prevailed even through the global pandemic. No matter the challenge, we held to the mantra, “We don’t stop an election; we figure out how to proceed.”

And proceeded we have, by implementing numerous new services and programs such as the absentee request portal, allowing civilians to request their absentee ballots online and allowing our military, citizens living abroad, and visually impaired to cast their ballots electronically; a partnership with DMV to allow voters to register to vote and update their voter registration online; certification of new voting systems; implementation of Voter ID; and creation of the now nationally recognized Attack Response Kits (ARKs) to stand up an elections office in case of a cyber attack on county government or to assist through natural disasters.

The list of accomplishments is numerous and has led to the State Board of Elections receiving four awards from the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission, two awards from the national Election Center, and recognition from the North Carolina Local Government Information Systems Association (NCLGISA). The success is possible because we have expanded communication with the counties and formed a collaborative approach to work as a Team of 101 – one state board and 100 county boards working together to serve the voters of our state. We have formed partnerships to extend our resources and skill set including teaming up with NC Emergency Management, NC National Guard, NC Department of Information Technology, the NC Sheriffs’ Association, and the NC Association of Chiefs of Police, to name a few.

We have done this work on a limited and reduced budget. We have done this work with a smaller State Board staff in 2024 than we had in 2020. We have done this work under incredibly difficult circumstances and in a toxic political environment that has targeted election professionals with harassment and threats.

I’ve worked in the elections field at all levels over the past 19 years. This is a very different environment that I hope can be restored to the civility that once existed. I hope we can get to a place in this country, and especially in this state that I hold so dear, where dedicated, hardworking election workers are supported and rewarded for their work, rather than vilified by those who don’t like the outcome. I hope we return to a time when those who lose elections concede defeat rather than trying to tear down the entire election system and erode voter confidence. And I hope we recognize that the conduct of elections is the very core of our democracy and should be properly and consistently funded, regardless of the party or the person in control, so that the voice of the people can be recorded accurately, securely, and fairly.

These should not be aspirations but rather reality.

Every day since February 1, 2006, when I took my first job in elections, I have come to love this profession, the people I’m fortunate enough to work with, and the voters I serve more than the day before – even on the worst days, and even on the day that I’m being removed from my position as State Elections Director. 

This is more than a profession; it’s a passion. Thank you to my elections family for the honor and privilege to carry out this work alongside you. And last but certainly not least, thank you to the voters of North Carolina, even those who have questioned my integrity and hurled unfounded insults. Ensuring the right to vote of every North Carolinian has been my guiding compass. Thank you for your trust and confidence in upholding such a fundamental right and the honor to serve you.