ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The past four years have been filled with battles over election results on local, state and national stages. With the presidential election looming in November, many people are asking questions about accuracy and making sure their vote counts.

“Vetting” and “open process” are three words Buncombe County Election Services Director Corinne Duncan used numerous times when talking about the election.

The Buncombe County Board of Elections has public meetings for reviewing absentee ballots, testing machines, the sample audit and other processes, Duncan said.

“It’s super important that everybody knows what’s happening,” she said.

Absentee ballots are set to be mailed starting Sept. 6, early voting begins Oct. 17 and the general election is Nov. 5.

The canvass

Election night results are unofficial.

Canvass is the process of determining the votes have been counted and tabulated correctly, resulting in the certification of election results, according to the state Board of Elections website.

During the 10-day canvass period, election officials count absentee ballots that came in before the deadline and review provisional ballots to determine whether they should be counted.

“It’s a whole vetting process,” Duncan said. “There’s a lot of things that happen that week.”

There’s a sample audit in which the state Board of Elections randomly chooses two voting locations per county.

“We hand count those votes to make sure they match what’s in the computer,” Duncan said. “That’s an open process.”

In every county, the canvass meeting when the results are certified is 10 days after Election Day, according to the state Board of Elections. Canvass day in Buncombe County is set for 11 a.m. Nov. 15.

The canvass meeting is open to the public. Unless the county board unanimously votes to change the site, the meeting will be at the county board of elections office.

Before the canvass meeting, the board ensures the sample hand-to-eye audit count and any discretionary or mandatory recounts have been completed, the state website said.

Additionally, county boards 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

“Part of it is showing all the documentation and asking questions of our five-member boards until they are confident everything has been done as it should be,” Duncan said.

The state will do a vetting process, too, as will the federal government in the case of a presidential election.

“It’s very unusual to see something that is intentionally fraudulent,” Duncan said.

The certification

Once everything is in order, county boards of elections certify the results.

But what would happen should a candidate refuse to concede or board members decline to certify local results?

“We would see that coming,” Duncan said. “If there were any problems, we would hope to address that board member’s concerns before the canvass meeting.

“Again, this is an open process. And if anyone has concerns, we want to address those,” she said.

Henderson County election officials said they will “faithfully” perform their duties when it comes to the process.

“Our board is appointed to represent the voters of Henderson County and have taken an oath to support and uphold the United States and North Carolina constitutions and laws, and that they will faithfully perform these duties,” said Henderson County Chief Communications Officer Mike Morgan.

What about the what-ifs?

Haywood County Elections Director Robert Inman said officials there have been making contingency plans for multiple scenarios.

“We have been working with our partner agencies to have a response plan for an array of situations — from inclement weather, crowd control and as well as addressing hostile individuals,” Inman said.

Bi-monthly work sessions with the State Board of Elections often focus on election security, he said. And election officials have met with such organizations as emergency management, law enforcement, homeland security and more.

“All in effort to be prepared for the unpredictability of a high intensity and high turnout election,” Inman said. “We take our responsibility to maintain order at the County Board of Elections proceedings and on election in the polling places seriously.”