NAACP Statement on the NAACP NC State Conference Election
The NAACP National Office is committed to maintaining transparency and disseminating accurate information about all organizational election operations and processes. State Conference was placed under administership in 2020 the regularly scheduled election was postponed resulting in Spearman serving two additional years beyond his term. In July 2021, the NAACP National Office designated an Administrator to the NAACP North Carolina State Conference to address recurring internal matters and ensure that the state conference's bi-annual election followed rigorous NAACP bylaws.
All-State Conference elections, including the North Carolina State Conference election, were conducted using the Election Buddy technology system. During the time of the election, all eligible Units of the North Carolina State Conference who had been determined to be in compliance with all requirements for voting were provided with an electronic ballot for each of their registered delegates to the State Convention. Prior to the election, opportunities were provided for duly elected delegates to ensure that they provided a working email address to the National Office so that they could receive the ballot. Each Unit was allotted ballots based on their delegate strength which is determined by the Unit membership of record at the time provided for delegate qualification.
The results of the elections concluded that the incumbent president of the NAACP North Carolina state conference, Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman, was defeated by a margin of two to one in the most recent election.
No grievance filed warranted a re-administration of the election, and the Committee voted unanimously to dismiss the complaint. The duly elected officers of the North Carolina State Conference have been installed by the Chairman of the Board and directed to be responsible for the administration and day-to-day operation thereof.
There is no Unit of the Association that is identified or authorized to act as the "North Carolina Justice Coalition". That group has no standing or affiliation with the NAACP.
The NAACP National office commends the newly elected officers for the NAACP North Carolina state conference:
- Deborah Maxwell, President.
- Carolyn Coleman, Vice President
- Carolyn McDougal, 2nd Vice President
- Keith Rivers, 3rd Vice President
- Courtney Patterson, 4th Vice President
- Sylvia Barnes, Secretary.
- Gerald Givens, Treasurer.
- Robert Cunningham Jr., Assistant Treasurer
The NAACP National Office looks forward to supporting these elected officers in their efforts to provide critical leadership in this moment to address the needs and concerns of North Carolinians.
###