ALBEMARLE — A challenge to incumbent state House of Representatives member Justin Burr was filed today by Beverly Johnson, the former mayor of Norwood and the Vice Chair of the Stanly County Democratic Party.
The challenge alleges that Representative Burr does not meet the requirements for residency in House District 67. The sworn affidavit relies on two pieces of mail that were sent to Burr’s home at 683 Tillery Dr. in Norwood that were returned as undeliverable. Because of the returned mail and the fact that Burr’s home is currently listed for sale, Johnson asks the board of elections to deny Burr’s candidacy.
Responding to the challenge, Rep. Burr said, “this challenge has no merit. It is not illegal to move.”
The returned mail pieces along with the fact that Burr’s house is listed for sale are attached to the complaint, which was filed around noon today, at the county board of elections. “Like many residents of our community, I don’t have a mailbox at my residence. I’ve had the same P.O. Box as my mailing address for the last 12 years,” said Burr.
Burr, by email, also stated that he believes the challenge is politically motivated. “This is the third consecutive election cycle where the Democrat Party is attempting to run a Democrat sponsored candidate against me in the Republican Primary,” said Burr. “There is no requirement to have a mailbox at your home address. This is just another desperate attempt on their part to create fake news.”
Burr also added that his home is under contract and he intends to move to another residence within his district.
One of the mail pieces used to support the challenge was sent by Real Facts NC, a Raleigh-based nonprofit that has previously posted on its blog about returned mail from various candidates’ home addresses, including Burr.
