The hotly contested election for the third available seat on the Orange County Schools Board of Education is headed for a runoff, the county's board of elections confirmed today in a meeting.
Third-place finisher and incumbent Jennifer Moore finished with 6,528 votes according to the state's tally on Friday morning, leaving her about 60 votes short of the percentage needed to avoid a runoff. State law allows a runoff in a nonpartisan, multi-seat race if at least one of the candidates who would win a seat does not win at least 50 percent of the available votes.
Bonnie Hauser, also an incumbent and the fourth-place finisher, requested the runoff after finishing less than 500 votes behind Moore. Hauser was endorsed by the Friends of OCS political action committee, which has prioritized removing graphic material in schools’ curriculum, increasing parental involvement in students’ education and decreasing the influence of political agendas in academic instruction.
In a statement to The Daily Tar Heel on Wednesday, Hauser said she looks forward to speaking to voters about improving equity in the district.
"Our equity conversations must include culturally relevant materials, safe spaces, and an honest conversation about the state of our schools, and the challenges of declining enrollment, teacher and staff shortages, and below average student outcomes," she said.
Moore has served on the board since 2020 and has over a decade of experience in North Carolina public schools. She has also served as vice president for the Orange County Association of Educators.
The runoff between Moore and Hauser will take place on May 14, along with statewide Republican runoffs for state treasurer and lieutenant governor.
About 43,000 voters will be eligible to vote in the OCS runoff.
