This news item expired on Tuesday, December 27, 2022 so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.
Update June 2, 2022: Buncombe County Board of Elections Completes Recount, Numbers Remain the Same
In less time than anticipated, Buncombe County Election Services staff and volunteers have finished a machine recount of slightly more than 54,000 ballots following a tie and close margin in two races from the May 17 primary. The Buncombe County Board of Elections (CBE) convened today at 1:20 p.m. to discuss the results and next steps.
In the NC House 115 Republican primary race, recount results were identical to canvass at 3,145 to 3,145. The Board voted to proceed with a full hand-eye recount for that race. That recount will start today and could potentially be finished by the end of the day tomorrow.
In the District Attorney Democratic primary race, recount results were 10,859 to 10,758. That count remains the same as was certified at canvass, with the margin remaining at 101 votes. The second-place candidate will have 24 hours to request a 3% hand-eye recount.
In additional business, following five filed voter challenges to the voter registration of Ernest Jeffrey Worley, the Board held a procedural discussion and voted to schedule a preliminary hearing to hear the challengers’ evidence on Tuesday, June 7, at 3:30 p.m., at 59 Woodfin Pl.
May 27, 2022
Buncombe County Board of Elections Certifies Primary Election Results
Per NCGS § 163-182.5., the Buncombe County Board of Elections (CBE) met today to complete the canvass of votes cast in the May 17 primary election.
Canvass is the official process of determining the votes have been counted and tabulated correctly, resulting in the authentication of the official election results.
For close elections, the canvass period is especially important. During this time, elections officials count absentee ballots that came in before the deadline and research provisional ballots to determine whether they should be counted.
The CBE examined the returns from precincts, absentee official ballots, the sample hand-to-eye paper ballot counts, and provisional official ballots to conduct the canvass. With the final tally resulting in a tie in the Republican primary for NC House 115 between candidates Pratik Bhakta and Sherry Higgins, there will be a mandatory recount for that race. With a margin of less than 1% for the Democratic primary for District Attorney, candidate Courtney Booth may request a recount of that race through the State Board of Elections by Wednesday, June 1 at noon. “The close results of these races are a perfect example of how important every single vote is,” said Election Services Director Corinne Duncan.
The CBE voted to certify the election results at 1:05 p.m. Find the official results here.
A recount will take place Wednesday, June 1, at 9 a.m. at 50 Coxe Ave., and is open to the public.