The Johnston County Board of Elections has rejected the voting complaints of Harris Lee Jenkins Jr. of Selma and Clifton Cooley Sr. of Wilson's Mills. Both candidates said polling-place issues could have spoiled their chances at victory.

Jenkins, who ran for mayor in Selma, said the town's two polling places were too hard for some of his supporters to reach. Cooley, an incumbent council candidate in Wilson's Mills, said misinformation sent some voters to the wrong place when they tried to vote.

But in hearings last week, the board found that "there was not substantial evidence of any violation, irregularity or misconduct sufficient to cast out on the results of the election," said Leigh Anne Price, supervisor of elections in Johnston.

It took about 30 minutes for the board to hear Cooley's case and about 90 minutes for Jenkins' case, Price said.

Jenkins said he presented witnesses and evidence, including maps of the town. None of the witnesses said they were unable to reach the polls, but some said they had received a campaign mailing from incumbent Mayor Charles Hester that gave inaccurate poll hours, Jenkins said.

The mayoral candidate said the board barely considered the issue at hand. "They did not address what we had asked," Jenkins said. "They have the legal responsibility to investigate those claims."

Jenkins also said that traffic from after-school programs at one polling place could have held off voters.

Jenkins plans to appeal his complaints to the State Board of Elections. Cooley could not be reached for comment. The state board could schedule new elections if it concurred with the candidates' arguments.

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