Pledge of Allegiance can now be said without fear of arrest, NC election board says

Defiant protesters no longer face the threat of arrest for reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at election board meetings in Bladen County, North Carolina.

After two days of growing national criticism, the Bladen County Board of Elections announced Thursday that it is reversing a decision to avoid saying the Pledge of Allegiance at meetings and will not penalize those who say it.

Board of Elections Chair Louella Thompson released a statement to McClatchy News explaining she made the decision after consulting “legal experts and the state and local Democratic Party.”

“As a result of those conversations I’ve decided the Bladen County Board of Elections will include the Pledge of Allegiance in its agenda for regular meetings starting in February,” she said in the statement.

“I decided to accept the position of Chairwoman of the Board because I was ready, willing, and able to face the difficulties that come with leading. I remain committed to doing so. It is time for the Bladen County Board of Elections to focus on the more important work of election administration and I’m hopeful this decision allows our Board to move forward in a constructive way,” the statement concluded.

The announcement is a stark reversal of Thompson’s stance the day before, when she criticized citizens who spontaneously stood to say the Pledge of Allegiance after her board voted not to do it on Tuesday.

Thompson accused the protesters of violating the law by disrupting the meeting and said “any future disruption would result in arrest.”

Critics include Congressman Dan Bishop of the 9th District, who said he was appalled at the threat to arrest people and accused the board of having a “twisted moral code.”

This is the latest in a series of controversies faced by the community’s election process.

Bladen County was part of an election fraud investigation last year, after the state board of elections found irregularities among mail-in absentee ballots in the 9th District race, The Charlotte Observer reported.

Thompson cited that controversy in her decision to change course on the Pledge issue.

“I’ve made this decision after reflecting on the months of discourse in our community regarding the unprecedented allegations of election fraud, which have cast doubt on the election processes in our county,” her statement said.

This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 12:30 PM with the headline "Pledge of Allegiance can now be said without fear of arrest, NC election board says."