New Hanover County elections director officially terminated after state decision becomes final
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — DeNay Harris is no longer serving as New Hanover County’s director of elections after a decision by state election officials to terminate her employment became final this week.
In a letter dated June 10, North Carolina State Board of Elections Executive Director Sam Hayes said his decision to approve a petition seeking Harris’ termination became final at the end of the day June 9.
According to Hayes, he received a petition on March 25 signed by all five members of the New Hanover County Board of Elections requesting Harris’ termination under state law. Harris submitted a response to the petition on April 30.
Hayes approved the petition on May 20. Under North Carolina law, the State Board of Elections had 20 days to defer the decision and schedule a hearing. The board did not take that action.
Harris was unanimously recommended for the position by the New Hanover County Board of Elections in January and officially began serving as elections director on Feb. 3.
Her tenure quickly became contentious.
In March, Harris was placed on paid administrative leave after raising concerns about county involvement in elections operations and alleging misconduct by county officials and elections board leadership. Harris also claimed her work email and communications had been improperly accessed or manipulated.
The dispute escalated into a public battle between Harris, county leadership and the Board of Elections. Independent reviews later found no evidence that county officials had tampered with Harris’ emails or computer systems, according to documents obtained by WWAY.
In a formal response filed in April, Harris argued the removal effort was retaliatory and stemmed from disagreements over the independence of the elections office. Her attorney characterized the petition as “pretextual” and unsupported by reliable evidence.
In a statement provided to WWAY, New Hanover County confirmed Harris’ employment ended Tuesday.
“The State Board of Elections Executive Director’s decision to terminate Ms. Harris as Elections Director became final at the end of the day on June 9, 2026, and her employment with New Hanover County ended on that date,” the county said.
