The technical term for the situation political leaders in Mecklenburg County now face is: Huh?

Make no mistake, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruling which tossed out some 11,300 provisional ballots statewide also tossed local political certitude to the side. What was a solid 6-3 Democratic majority on the Mecklenburg County commission that seemed headed towards both a property tax increase and full-funding of whatever budget request Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools made is now in doubt. It is also unclear what the new provisional balloting rules will mean for the upcoming Charlotte mayoral race in November.

Until the county board of elections actually examines the nearly 1,800 provisional ballots the decision rendered void in Mecklenburg it is impossible to know what the impact will be. But it is clear that former Republican county commissioner Ruth Samuelson has at least a shot at seeing her 955 vote loss reversed once a new tally is made that excludes the 1,800 ballots. When and exactly how make up of the county board would change in the event of a change in that race’s outcome is anybody’s guess. Likewise the possibility of an entirely new election. Who knows?

Time becomes a crucial factor considering that the county is quickly moving into its budget-making phase and will make fiscal decisions that will require up-or-down votes from its members. Changing the make-up of the council in midstream could have fairly important ramifications for these decisions.

Timing also impacts intra-party squabbles as well. Partially due to the Democratic blow-out win last November the local Republican Party leadership is in flux. Current county party chairman John Aneralla is being challenged by Bill Huber. But does the provisional ballot ruling now make Republican electoral performance look better? Further, how to should the party attempt to capitalize on the ruling, or should the party try at all? All these questions are now rolling around the heads of local political activists.

And only slightly ahead in the future is the mayor’s race. Republican Mayor Pat McCrory is expected to face a stiff challenge from Democratic Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Cannon. Cannon has not yet committed to the race, but given recent trends in voter registration it certainly seemed that 2005 would give a well-known Democrat like Cannon a strong shot at breaking the recent Republican hold on the mayor’s office.

But if it turns out that the new provisional ballot rules make it harder to get Democratic voters to their correct precincts the perceived Democratic improvement in the raw numbers of registered voters may be reduced. Off-year elections like 2005 are also notoriously hard to hit with mass voter-turnout efforts as it is, which adds up to more political drama for the Queen City in the coming months.

Finally, the most important upshot of the Supreme Court’s ruling just might be a clear understanding by candidates, parties, election officials, and voters of the importance of clear, concise rules for elections. Haphazard ballot-handling procedures and enforcement of residency requirements are a luxury for non-competitive political races. If we start with the assumption that every race will go down to the wire, then maybe it will not be such a surprise when a race does.

Otherwise, repeat after me: Huh?