ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828NewsNow) — Buncombe County Election Services is one step closer to certifying the 2026 midterm election.
According to a Nov. 9 news release, election officials completed the official sample audit of the North Carolina U.S. Senate race in two precincts: Precinct 42.1 (Emma Elementary School) and Precinct 28.1 (Covenant Reformed Presbyterian). These were randomly selected by North Carolina State Board of Elections, the release said.
The Senate race was between former Gov. Roy Cooper (Democrat) and Michael Whatley (Republic). Cooper won the seat. In Buncombe County, the total votes were 94,346 for Cooper (71.9%) and 33,675 for Whatley (25.7%).
For the audit, results of the hand count are compared to the results tabulated by the voting machines. This process was open to the public.
The sample audit is required by state law and helps ensure the accuracy of the machine-counted results of paper ballots. Much like a bubble exam, mismatches in vote count might occur if a voter circled a candidate’s name or made an “X” instead of fully filling in the oval for their candidate.
According to the release, bipartisan teams, overseen by the County Board of Elections, conducted a hand-count audit of the U.S. Senate contest on all ballots in the randomly selected precincts.
“The sample audit is one of many audits that take place during the canvass period to ensure that the vote count is accurate,” said Elections Director Corinne Duncan in the release. “We look forward to certifying official results this Friday.”
The sample audit is one part of the larger 10-day canvass period after the election, the statutorily required vote-counting and auditing processes after every election, the release said. Canvass is the process of ensuring votes have been counted correctly and required audits have been completed, culminating in the certification of results during meetings of every county board of elections
Election night results are unofficial. By law, county boards are required to hold these canvass meetings on Friday, Nov. 13 at 11 a.m. These meetings are open to the public, and community members can watch the Buncombe County Board of Elections meetings live at engage.buncombecounty.org/boardofelections.