Orange County has hired a new elections director to replace outgoing director Tracy Reams.

Rachel Raper has been hired to take over for Reams, who is retiring effective January 31 after serving as the county’s election director since 2008.

Raper comes to Orange County from Currituck County, where she served as deputy elections director from 2005 to 2014 before taking over as elections director.

“What attracted me to this position was the energy and spirit of Orange County and an opportunity to join an excellent elections team,” Raper said in a release announcing her hire. “I look forward to administering vital, orderly, thorough, efficient services to the voters of Orange County.”

Raper is an alumna of Elizabeth City State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. She went on to earn her master’s degree from UNC – Greensboro.

Her first day with Orange County was January 22.

Orange County voters are currently scheduled to head to the polls for primaries in the spring of 2018 before the November election. Seats on this fall’s ballot range across local and state-level races.

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