Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - Melissa Elmore is one of two Republican candidates running for the Register of Deeds position in Lincoln County, North Carolina. After spending much of her career in the office, Elmore hopes to become the office's head. The Register of Deeds is a four-year position, and with no democrat running, this chair will be determined in the March Primaries.
Elmore is a lifelong resident of Lincoln County who also attended West Lincoln High School before heading off to college. She attended Gaston College before earning certifications from UNC-Chapel Hill for the roles she performs at the Lincoln County Register of Deeds office. She has worked at this office for 25 years, and with her superior retiring, she felt she should step up and run for the Register of Deeds position. Elmore is also part of the Board of Adjustments in Lincoln County, the Republican Women, the Property Records Industry Association, and a volunteer at Standing in the Gap Ministries.
A Register of Deeds keeps the records for a county. This includes maintaining land records and vital records for the area. Vital records include marriages, births, and deaths. They also handle the DD-214, which handles military discharges. The Register of Deeds also swears in the notaries of Lincoln County. The last standard duty performed at the office is assumed name filings for business. In addition, the Lincoln County Register of Deeds is a passport office for the local area.
Elmore goes on to explain that some registers are working registers, meaning they hold additional duties at their office. As a Deputy III Administrative Assistant and rekeyer, Elmore hopes to become a working register to continue her current work. A rekeyer is a detail-oriented position that proofs every document to prevent any incorrect entries in the register. This ensures that title searches are accurate when reviewed by banks and other organizations. In addition to these responsibilities, the Register of Deeds must also organize a budget for the register's offices.
Elmore notes that the current Register of Deeds, Danny Hester, plans on retiring. With 25 years of experience, Elmore feels she is a good fit to take over the position. She also mentioned that the current staff of the Register of Deeds office is another reason she wants to run. There is a lot of knowledge among the current staff on how to run the office. She feels the staff there works well together and hopes to stop any newcomers from replacing these tenured workers.
Elmore believes the public is satisfied with the Register of Deeds office's operations in Lincoln County. When discussing how the position could be improved, she brings up the optional services they can offer, such as passport issuance. She hopes to look into what other optional services they can provide to expand the usefulness to the public. One such thing she is currently looking into is issuing hunting and fishing licenses. She mentions that many parents and grandparents obtain a hunting and fishing license within the first year of a child's life, which entitles them to a discount. They already have to visit the Register of Deeds to obtain a birth certificate to receive this. At the end of the day, she sees the office as a public service and wants to make sure they can help make people's lives easier and offer guidance.
While it has not yet been an issue in Lincoln County, Elmore also hopes to tackle deed fraud preemptively. Currently, a fraud detection alert system is in place in Lincoln County. Elmore notes that, as long as a deed meets NC recording standards, even if she suspects it is fraudulent, it must be recorded. To combat this, the detection system can accommodate up to five names. This will alert you via email when any document containing one of these names enters their system, so people can contact the office if they're unsure why a document's status has changed.
Elmore's full interview with WNN reporter Rusty Wise is in the video below. Remember that the Republican candidate decision will be made on March 3rd, 2026. Early voting starts on February 12th and runs through the 28th. The mail-in (absentee) ballot request deadline is February 17th. Mail-in ballots started going out to voters on January 12th. If you are a candidate or incumbent who would like to speak publicly about your stances, email newsdesk@wisenewsnetwork.com.
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