Irene Grimes told the truth about an attempt to fire Cumberland County's elections director behind closed doors, and now the same partisan majority she exposed is trying to remove her from the board. This is not a personnel dispute. It's an attempt to punish transparency and silence anyone who stands in the way of partisan control over how our elections are run.
Summary:
Irene Grimes is a member of the Cumberland County Board of Elections, a job she has approached with integrity since she was appointed in 2019. In April 2026, she learned that the board's Republican majority had quietly petitioned the state to fire elections director Angie Amaro, without even telling the board's two Democratic members it was happening. North Carolina law lets county boards push to remove their director through the state, and it keeps that process secret by default, secret from the very voters that director serves.
Grimes refused to let the public be shut out. With Amaro's direct, explicit permission, she posted the cover letters of the petition on Facebook so the community would know what was happening. Amaro has publicly confirmed she gave Grimes that permission. Grimes held back the portion of the petition laying out the specific reasons Republicans gave for wanting Amaro gone, because Amaro had not authorized that part's release. She drew the line carefully and stayed inside it.
Amaro fought to keep her job. She was forced onto unpaid leave for 99 days and ultimately retired on August 1, 2026, after Republicans filed a second petition against her.
On August 3, 2026, the president of the Cumberland County Republican Women's Club filed a complaint against Grimes with the N.C. State Board of Elections, claiming her Facebook post violated personnel confidentiality. On August 20, the state board, controlled by a Republican majority, voted 3-2, strictly along party lines, to move forward with a hearing against her.
A Republican board member argued that the mere disclosure was enough to act on. A Democratic board member pushed back immediately, pointing out that Grimes never revealed the confidential substance of the personnel matter at all, she simply told the public a complaint existed and asked them to pay attention. That is not a violation. That is what accountability looks like.
Call to action:
We are raising $10,000 for Irene's legal defense. Her case is being handled by Poyner Spruill, who will represent her before the State Board of Elections and, if necessary, take further legal action in the courts.
Every dollar goes directly to her defense team.
What are we trying to achieve?
Election administration only works if the public can trust it, and that trust depends on people willing to speak up when politics starts overriding process. Irene did that. Now she's paying legal bills for it, while the people who tried to oust a qualified elections director in the dark face no consequences at all.
If board members learn that transparency gets you investigated while partisan maneuvering gets a pass, the lesson every future board member will take is simple: stay quiet, or you're next.
What is the next step in the case?
Irene's case will be heard before the North Carolina State Board of Elections in October. The results of the hearing will determine next steps.
