Dare Election Director Michele Barnes resigns

Board nominates Jackie Tillett to replace her

The Dare County Board of Elections has named Jackie Tillett as interim elections director in the wake of the resignation of former director Michele Barnes, whose last day in that post was Thursday, Aug. 6.

According to Board of Elections Chair Sandy Semans Ross, the board accepted Barnes’ resignation by a 4-1 vote and has nominated Tillett to replace her – a request that must be approved by the State Board of Elections. Semans says she expects the state board will “turn [that request] around pretty quickly because of the [looming] election.”

Of Tillett, a decades-long Dare County employee, Semans added: “We’re delighted she was there and in place.”