County parties differ on maintaining officer positions

With municipal elections approaching in the fall (except in Lexington where the municipal election has been postponed until March), many citizens are filing to officially announce their candidacy. All of the candidates can be found here on the Davidson County Board of Elections website. 

Among the candidates is JacQuez Johnson who will seek to become the youngest member of the  Thomasville City Council. Recently, Johnson became the chair of the Davidson County Democratic Party (DCDP)  replacing Tina Royal.  He is a college student at Appalachian State University and will remain in school,  virtually, for his final year.  If elected, Johnson would be able to serve in both positions, as the North Carolina Democratic Party  allows for officers to run for non-partisan positions in elections while still holding their office, as stated on page 42 of the bylaws here.   

When contacted via email about their bylaw provisions, Chris Jessup, chair of the Davidson County Republican Party (DCRP) said their bylaws don’t allow an officer to run for office and keep their  position. The filing of an officer for a public position is considered a resignation of their officer position in the Republican Party, effective seven days after their filing, noted Jessup. To keep their position and run, the county Executive Committee must vote with ⅔ in the affirmative to waive the policy. 

These restrictions are based on the state-wide Republican Party, as outlined in their plan of organization. Chapters are allowed to modify and write their own plans of organization, but they aren’t allowed to contradict what the state party has released. Therefore, the Davidson County chapter has kept the same bylaws. To read more, the plan of organization can be found here. 

Despite the differences in the Democrat and Republican bylaws, Johnson will be able to both run for the Thomasville City Council position and hold his office as chair of the DCDP. By doing both, he hopes to show youth from  Davidson County, specifically  Thomasville, they have the power to make a difference. 

“We must get active and create the future the way we want it and as [DCDP] Chair and if elected on the Thomasville City Council I will strive to be that change,” said Johnson.