Gov. Cooper Makes County Election Board Chairpersons Picks

Gov. Roy Cooper has made his picks for who will lead the county boards of elections in the state. 

He reappointed Ophelia Wright as chairwoman of Rockingham County's elections board. Wright has only been chair since the spring, when she replaced the retired former chairman Royce Richardson.

Wright is a Democrat from Reidsville and former schoolteacher. She's the first Black person to hold the Rockingham post.

Also getting reappointed is Democrat Jim Kimel in Guilford County. He's held the post since 2019 and served multiple terms as the county's former elected district attorney.

A full list of appointments is here.

A 2018 law made major changes to the makeup of boards at the county level, giving the governor the authority to appoint the chairpersons.

They had previously been chosen by the members of the respective county boards.