Polls open in controversial council election

Montravias King, the Elizabeth City State University senior who was formerly barred from running for city council this summer, could see the results of his hard-fought campaign today.

Polls open for the two Elizabeth City council seats today. King is running against six other candidates, including an incumbent.

The Pasquotank County Board of Elections had banned Montravias King from running on the basis that his on-campus dorm room was not a valid permanent address. But in late August, the State Board of Elections voted unanimously to overturn the decision.

And despite the obstacles he’s faced getting his name on the ballot, King is confident.

“I honestly think it’s because people saw in me someone determined. Someone who, despite being told no, wasn’t going to stop there,” King said. “I’m going to press on and take it to the next level. People saw I was going to fight.”

In addition to garnering high profile news coverage, King is being supported by many organizations and local political figures such as Evan Degnan, the chairman of the board of directors for Upward South, a political action committee and Gerry Cohen, special counsel to the N.C. General Assembly.

“He’s working really hard to get the vote out,” Cohen said. “I have talked to him about legal issues and strategies, and how to be a student running for office. It’s quite a spirited campaign.”

Despite the media coverage both locally and nationally, King said what will win him the election is not the media exposure, but the face-to-face contact.

“I feel like (the national coverage) has helped us a lot,” King said. “I believe that me connecting, reaching out, knocking on doors, shaking their hands — that really made the difference.”

Degnan said the Elizabeth City senior has run a competitive campaign.

“He seems to have a very well-organized campaign,” Degnan said. “They did voter registration, they did getting people out to early voting, door-to-door campaigning, direct mail, phone calling — all of the typical things of a campaign.”

King said he is optimistic about today’s election.

“I’m hyper, excited, and I can’t even sleep,” King said. “I’m really optimistic because I’ve been out there with the people, and the people have been telling me that they really want that representation in things that are lacking in the fourth ward.”

Cohen said he thinks King has a good chance of winning the election because he’s made himself well-known while running a grassroots campaign.

And King said the the campaign experience has been about more than just winning.

“It is absolutely humbling for me to witness this — I’ve talked to the people and they say, ‘I voted for you, I believe in you, you’re going to win,’” King said. “I’ve heard people say those things. These people have told me that they are proud of what I’m doing, and they’re willing to give me a shot.”

state@dailytarheel.com