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Can an incumbent candidate use the Phrase "Re-Elect" to District 4, IF (due to re-districting) he was never elected to that Dist

This is a City Council race. The candidate using the phrase was the incumbent of the former District 2 and elected to that position. As a result of a heavily gerrymandered redistricting, he became the District 4 rep. Completely different/new district with different constituency. It seems a far stretch of the truth to use the term re-elect. I am a challenger and am considering addressing this with the local Board of Elections.

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Attorney answers (3)

Reputation Level 6
He will probably get away with it unless your local Board of Elections adjudicates unfair campaign practices in a timely manner -- hopefully before the election. You should check into whether your local League of Women's Voters has a "Fair Campaign Practices Committee" before whom you might be able to lodge a complaint. These committees sometimes issue their findings in press releases that are in turn picked up by the local papers. Good luck.

Reputation Level 8
It would certainly be better practice to use the phrase "keep" or "retain" rather than "re-elect" given the circumstance you describe. A consultation with a NC election lawyer could get you an answer on whether it's a technical violation. But, as Mr. Binder points out, the timeliness of any redress is likely to be rather later than you might hope.

Reputation Level 10
I don't know the restrictions in your area, but this is acceptable in the ones I've encountered.

Please note that I'm not your lawyer, and this isn't legal advice.

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