The North Carolina elections board ousted its widely respected executive director Wednesday in a partisan move that will put Republicans in control of election operations in the political swing state,

North Carolina's director of elections Karen Brinson Ball was ousted from her position by the newly minted GOP board of elections majority.

A Republican candidate for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court in November's election conceded defeat on Wednesday, ending his legal efforts to have thousands of ballots thrown out six months after the final votes were cast.