Politics

20-year-old City Council candidate announces write-in campaign

John Moore

By Lightning Reports, Published: October 19, 2017

John Moore, the 20-year-old community college student who has appealed an Elections Board ruling that he's too young to run for office, has launched a write-in campaign for a seat on the Hendersonville City Council.

After the county Board of Elections ruled on July 20 that state law requires candidates for office to be at least 21 years old, Moore appealed to the courts. It's up to the state Supreme Court to resolve a conflict in state law, which says a qualified voter who is 21 years old "shall be eligible for election" to office, and Hendersonville's charter, which says only that candidates for mayor and council "must be a resident and a qualified voter of the City."

Moore says state law tilts in his favor.

When state law and city charter conflict, "the charter procedure shall control," the general statute says.

Because a legal fight between Gov. Roy Coopeer and the General Assembly has left the state Elections Board with no appointed members, Moore's relief was at the state Supreme Court only. He is represented by John Noor, of Roberts Stevens in Asheville.

The North Carolina Supreme Court could rule on his petition on Nov. 3, Moore said, five days before the general election. Early one-stop voting in the municipal elections started on Thursday.