A complaint lodged against the chief judge of the Maxton Precinct was dismissed this week.

Brenda Fairley-Ferebee, a school board candidate in the May primary, filed the complaint against Helen McPhatter, alleging the judge had refused to allow a voter to cast a ballot.

The complaint also stated that “there were several complaints concerning the unethical practice of her (McPhatter) and certain workers inside the Maxton Precinct.”

Fairley-Ferebee also stated in her complaint that she had received calls from people saying that workers at the polling site were telling voters they did not have to mark her name on the ballot because she had already won the election since no one filed against her. She was unopposed.

The issue of concern to the board, election officials said, was whether a voter, Eva Mitchell, had been prohibited from casting her ballot, a ballot that included Fairley-Ferebee’s name. Mitchell, the board determined, had originally been given the wrong ballot — which she cast — because she had been listed by the Board of Elections in the wrong district. However, board officials said, their investigation into the complaint determined that Mitchell had been provided the opportunity to vote by provisional ballot for school board.

Dock Locklear, director of the Elections Board, said that the only thing McPhatter, a volunteer elections official for more than 20 years, did wrong in handling the situation with Mitchell was not to follow board instructions telling poll workers to inform Board of Elections staff immediately if there is a question about which district a voter lives in.

“She should have contacted us and we would make a decision,” Locklear said. “It was not a decision she should have made on her own.”

Although they said no action taken by McPhatter warranted her being terminated as a chief judge, board members did say that they had some concerns about how voting is administered at the Maxton Precinct.

“During our investigation we did see some house-keeping issues that are a great concern to us,” board member Steve Stone said. “We didn’t see any irregularity in precinct (voting), just maybe in some personnel issues. But I don’t think the problems rose to the level of removing a long-standing judge.”

Board Chairman Joshua Malcolm said the board charged Locklear with addressing issues of concern.

“Dock’s job is going to be to make the Maxton Precinct an example for other county precincts,” Malcolm said.

Locklear said that before the November general election, volunteer poll workers, especially chief judges, will receive more training in election administrative procedures. He said more than the two hours of training poll workers receive before each election is needed.

“People don’t understand that laws have changed,” Locklear said. “What you could do 20 years ago you can’t do today.”

Tuesday’s board ruling came after a public hearing concerning Fairley-Ferebee’s complaint was held in late July. At that time, a number of people provided sworn testimony.

Board members noted that their decision was made based on testimony presented at the public hearing and during an investigation conducted by the Elections Board staff.

“This was not about personalities. This was all about taking responsibility,” board member Tiffany Powers said.