WS Chronicle

Tim Tsujii, the deputy elections director in Guilford County, has been hired as the new director of the Forsyth County Board of Elections.

The 34-year-old has worked with the Guilford County Board of Elections for the past decade, starting as early-voting manager and becoming the deputy elections director in 2014. He said he applied for the director position because it was close by and because he respected the staff at the Forsyth BOE.

“Just knowing I’m going to get to join them and work with them, I’m really looking forward to that opportunity,” he said.

The Forsyth BOE voted unanimously to hire Tsujii, who will begin Feb. 29. The board has been looking for a director since August when Steve Hines left the position to become elections director in Greene County.  Deputy Elections Director Lamar Joyner has been serving as interim director.

Tsujii, who was born and raised in Greensboro, said he was drawn to service in local government from an early age.

“I developed a passion and interest for helping people,” he said.

Tsujii will begin only days before early voting starts. He expects the transition to be seamless since all BOEs in the state are “in the same boat” with the changes in election regulations, like the new voter ID requirement that goes into effect this year, and the court challenges that continue to cause twists and turns in this year’s election. The latest change is that after a court ordered redrawing of congressional districts, putting all of Forsyth County in the 5th District, the General Assembly has now voted to delay U.S. House primaries until June 7.

Tsujii said he’s devoted to being transparent and open to the public and is focused on making voting as efficient as possible.

“I personally set a very high standard for servicing the voters, whether its Guilford County  or Forsyth County … so that if there’s a need for assistance in being able to carry out their right to vote, I’m going to do my best to uphold that right and help them as best as possible.”

Forsyth BOE Member Fleming El-Amin said that the board was looking for a director who is qualified for the job, is familiar with state election laws, and will stay in the position for the long term.  He said he was impressed with Tsujii’s work in Guilford County.

“What stood out for me more than anything else, his commitment to make the process work more efficiently,” said El-Amin.

El-Amin said the staff already has made the preparations for early voting, so he also expects the transition to a new director to run smoothly.