Press release from Buncombe County:
In accordance with NCGS § 163-182.5, the Buncombe County Board of Elections met today to complete the certification of votes cast in the Nov. 5 presidential election. Results on election night are unofficial, canvass is the official process of determining whether 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, election officials count timely absentee ballots and research provisional ballots. These votes are added to the unofficial results that were released on Election night.
“The work that goes into certifying an election is labor intensive and important,” says Election Services Director Corinne Duncan. “These processes help voters have confidence casting their vote. Election officials work incredibly hard to ensure results are tallied timely and accurately. This is no small feat, especially with growing administrative demands, but most notably for WNC, this was accomplished despite the numerous challenges of Hurricane Helene. What was accomplished, in election administration and by voters themselves, was remarkable.”
In today’s public meeting, the County Board of Elections met to review voter and administration challenges, adjust vote totals based on challenge outcomes, present the audits for all voting types, and give the Board opportunity to review the results.
Before the canvass meeting, the board must ensure that the sample hand-to-eye audit count and any discretionary or mandatory recounts have been completed.
Additionally, they must confirm all eligible ballots have been counted, including:
- Ballots that were unable to be read in the precinct (ballot jams, torn ballots, etc.)
- Absentee ballots
- Provisional ballots
The Board of Elections voted to certify the election results at 4:59 p.m. Official results are submitted to the state board and can be found atbuncombecounty.org/vote. The next meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Elections will take place on Tuesday Nov. 19 at 1 p.m., if a recount is needed. The meeting will be open to the public at the Election Services Warehouse, at 50 Coxe Ave., Asheville.
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