Press Release: Appeal Filed in Guilford Bond Electioneering Case

Press Release: Appeal Filed in Guilford County Electioneering Case

June 16, 2022
For Immediate Release

Yesterday, Jerry “Alan” Branson filed an appeal on behalf of Guilford County taxpayers with regards to the illegal use of taxpayer funds to electioneer for the passage of the County’s $1.7 billion bond referendum. See the full Appeal here.

The Guilford County Board of Elections’ laughable dismissal of the Protest, occurred upon 3–2 party line vote, with all Democrats on the board refusing to investigate the misconduct of government actors, including the Guilford County Government and School System.   

The overwhelming amount of evidence presented thus far in this case—before any discovery has even occurred—clearly shows the Guilford County Schools and the Guilford County Government violated the law by using taxpayer funds to promote the passage of the bond. 

“Not only is the government attempting to indoctrinate our children, now they’ve attempted to indoctrinate voters using your tax dollars. We cannot let that stand. My goal is to make sure Guilford County’s taxpayers know exactly how their money is spent and to ensure that our elections are free of illegal government interference,” said former Guilford County Commissioner Alan Branson.

Specifically, that evidence will show that government actors sent mass texts, emails, voicemails, and mailers to tens of thousands of voters instructing them to “Vote Yes” on the bond. Moreover, school administrators also deliberately removed high school students from educational settings to propagandize the bond all while incentivizing students to vote in exchange for exemption from teacher-made exams. The School System also paid for a political operative to create a voter analysis, created and posted videos in support of the bond, and promised the creation of nearly 25,000 jobs in Guilford County if the bond passed. The School System also took the liberty of appropriating COVID expenditures to advertise. Finally, it seems the School System, Superintendent Sharon Contreras, and board members may have also crossed lines with third party groups to support the bond, including nonprofits, businesses, and political committees.

“We cannot sit idly by and allow for taxpayer dollars to be misused for political purposes without any repercussions or accountability. We will continue this fight until those responsible are held to account,” stated Philip Thomas, one of Mr. Branson's attorneys.  

Branson has now brought on additional legal firepower by adding Steven Walker and Kevin Cline to his legal team. Walker was formerly General Counsel and Chief of Staff to Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest and is now a partner at Walker Kiger, PLLC. Cline runs his own firm Kevin Cline Law, PLLC. In addition to private practice, Philip Thomas also serves as Chief Counsel to the North Carolina Republican Party.

The North Carolina Republican Party supports the continued pursuit of accountability and compliance on behalf of the voters and taxpayers in this State and Guilford County.