Cumberland County election board finds substantial evidence of misconduct in Godwin and forwards findings to state

Cumberland County’s board of elections on Jan. 16 unanimously found there was substantial evidence that a violation, irregularity or misconduct occurred in the Nov. 4, 2025 Town of Godwin commissioners race and voted to forward that finding to the North Carolina State Board of Elections for any action within its authority.

The decision followed testimony from several subpoenaed witnesses and admission into evidence of copies of text messages the board said were sent on election morning by Town Clerk Jacqueline Cooper Kelly. In an opening statement, the protester pressing the case said the clerk had “sent unsolicited text message to voters instructing them how to vote,” and argued that the messages, taken together with the clerk’s access to voter contact information, undermined the fairness of the election.

The protester requested the board either order a revote or recommend that the state board do so. The board’s presiding officer clarified the county board cannot itself order a new election and instead may forward findings and a recommendation to the State Board of Elections, which would make any final decision.

Witnesses including Katrina (last name recorded in testimony as Porpus/Corpus), Winifred Corpus and former Mayor Deborah Tu testified they received the text messages the clerk acknowledged sending. One witness read a message into the record that said, in part, "if you are voting today, would you please vote for George Cooper, Joseph Smith, Ronald McNeil, and Scarlett Hall…" Jacqueline Cooper Kelly testified she sent multiple texts on the morning of Nov. 4 (with times given in testimony at about 06:09–06:15 a.m.), saying some were sent from bed and at least one was sent while at work. She provided copies of the messages from her phone for the record; the board voted to admit those copies into evidence.

Board members spent much of the deliberation focused on two questions: how many voters were contacted by the clerk, and whether those contacts occurred while she was on duty at town hall. The director later confirmed there were five early voters in Godwin and that Winifred Corpus had voted early, meaning some recipients had already cast ballots; board members nevertheless said the total number of identified contacts—at least six recipients referenced in testimony—was sufficient to create doubt about the outcome.

One board member summarized the concern this way: "I think there's enough contacts that she made in her position that caused an unfair election." Another member cautioned that the burden of proof rests with the protester to show a preponderance of the evidence that the outcome was affected.

After deliberation the board voted that there was substantial evidence that an elections-law violation, irregularity or misconduct occurred and that the matter should be referred to the state for any further action within its authority. The board also voted to forward the finding to the North Carolina State Board of Elections; the presiding officer noted the state board must vote 4–1 to order a new election and said May 12 is the most likely date if the state orders one. The county also agreed to seek assistance from the county attorney to refer the former clerk for possible further consequences or investigation by the state board.

The board took no immediate step to order a new election itself; it sent its findings and evidence to the State Board of Elections, which will determine whether to order a new election or take other action. The hearing was adjourned at 10:55 a.m.