ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828NewsNow) — The Buncombe County Board of Elections reviewed provisional ballots and voter challenges from the midterm election at its Nov. 10 public meeting, and of the 912 ballots, the Board disapproved 360 of them.
According to a Nov. 10 news release, the Board said 100 partially approved and 452 approved provisional ballots were added to the unofficial midterm results. The Board said that of the 360 ballots that were disapproved, 75% of those were related to unregistered voters.
The Board said in the release that provisional ballots can be the determining factor in close races like the Black Mountain Town Council race, which was separated by only 26 votes, before provisionals were approved and added to the unofficial results. The updated election results for races in Buncombe County are now available at the N.C. Board of Elections website.
According to the release, provisional ballots are federally required and are given to voters who have an issue with things like registration, eligibility, or identification at the polls. Provisional ballots look identical to regular ballots, but election officials and staff extensively research them before deciding whether to count them, the Board said.
“We have a team of Election officials who work to intensively research each ballot before presenting final recommendations to the Board for final review. I am proud of our processes that ensure every eligible vote counts,” said Buncombe County Election Director Corinne Duncan in the release.
The midterm election results will be made official on Friday, Nov. 13, with the canvass meeting, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. It will be livestreamed at the Buncombe County Board of Elections website.