On Thursday, October 10th, former Durham City Council candidate Victoria Peterson filed an election protest challenging the results of Durham’s municipal primary election. Mrs. Peterson challenged the eligibility of Durham City Council Member Javiera Caballero to run for office. At their regularly scheduled meeting on Friday, October 11th, the Durham Board of Elections unanimously dismissed the protest, finding that the petition was not supported by any evidence. After the Board’s action, Mrs. Peterson announced plans to file an appeal with the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
This is not the first time during the course of this election that our three campaigns have been subjected to baseless accusations. We have always chosen to focus our attention in this campaign on the issues that matter to the people of the city of Durham. While this allegation is hurtful and harmful, it is also an opportunity for Durham to recommit to inclusivity and our belief that Durham is for everyone. Since launching our campaigns, we’ve used the slogan “we’re all in this together,” and we encourage all residents of Durham to champion this idea and to help us build a city that values, welcomes, and supports all our diverse communities.
We are gratified that the voters of Durham responded on primary election day by voting to make the three of us the top three finishers. As the Durham Board of Elections concluded, there is absolutely no evidence to support the reckless contention that Council Member Caballero is ineligible to run for office. Council Member Caballero is a citizen of the United States, is a duly registered voter in Durham County and has lawfully voted in Durham elections since 2010.
“I support my colleague Javiera Caballero and all of our immigrant residents, many of whom have had to endure this type of suspicion throughout their lives. An immigrant perspective on the council is a benefit to our entire city, and Javiera’s capacity to engage the Spanish-speaking community has helped us all to be more inclusive and improve our practice of language justice. This city belongs to all of our residents, no matter where they were born,” said Mayor Pro Tempore Jillian Johnson.
“My friend and colleague Javiera Caballero is one of the finest public servants with whom I have had the privilege to serve, and I am proud to stand with her in this campaign. Javiera has faced these sorts of baseless claims about her citizenship throughout this election, and it’s time for our community to speak with one voice to say that enough is enough. Durham must be a city that works for everyone, and that must include our immigrant neighbors,” said Durham City Council Member Charlie Reece.
We have every confidence that the people of Durham will see through this fact-free distraction. Between now and election day on November 5th, we will continue to spend our time and energy campaigning in every part of this city to share our progressive vision with Durham voters.
###