District Attorney Michael Parker’s name will appear on absentee ballots even though the state has yet to rule if he is eligible to seek relection.

Richmond County Board of Elections Director Connie Kelly said her agency has no more knowledge about when the state will release the decision of a three-member panel that was appointed to determine if Parker lives in the district.

However, the state board of elections has given the thumbs-up to including him on the ballot for the May Democratic primary election against attorney Reece Saunders.

“Because either side of this decision will be able to appeal the decision, the state found there is no justifiable reason for not putting him on the ballot,” Kelly said.

She said it is standard practice of boards of elections is to not certify election results until all challenges to that election are resolved.

After the hearing last Tuesday, the three-member panel of election officials met behind closed doors for at least two hours. All indications are they made a decision at that time.

The state hasn’t released that decision in the ensuing nine days, however, as Sue Nichols, the State Board of Elections’ special counsel for the hearing, said earlier this week she is still preparing a copy of the decision.

Thursday afternoon, North Carolina Board of Elections General Counsel Don Wright said he has been flooded with inquiries, but his office has no control over the release of the decision.

“This is the fourth call I’ve had in the last half-hour,” he told the Daily Journal. He offered no timeline for the release.

Nichols is an employee of the North Carolina Department of Justice, whose spokeswoman was unable to be reached.

Parker declined to comment on the amount of time it has taken for the decision to be released.

Kelly said the majority of absentee ballots that have been requested are from military individuals, and the total number is comparatively small with the number of voters in the county.

“It wouldn’t be enough to sway an election,” she said.

Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.