KINSTON, N.C. (WITN) - Election officials in Lenoir County have set a date to hear an election protest for a woman running for Kinston City Council.

The chair of the Lenoir County Republican Party last month filed the protest against Quarla Blackwell, saying she wasn’t qualified to hold office because she’s still on probation.

The Board of Elections will hold what they call a ‘preliminary consideration meeting’ at 5:30 p.m. on November 5th.

Blackwell is running for an at-large seat on city council and remains on the ballot for the November 3rd municipal election.

Sean Keenan, who is also a Kinston attorney, says that when Blackwell filed for office on July 14th, she did disclose a felony conviction but said her citizenship rights were restored as of 2025.

Earlier this month, Kinsto

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