County Boards of Elections Complete Post-Election Audits

As a statewide recount for a North Carolina Supreme Court contest begins in North Carolina, all 100 county boards of elections recently completed hand-to-eye audits for the 2020 general election, an important step in confirming accurate election results.

Pursuant to state law, the bipartisan county boards conduct a hand-to-eye audit of ballots from randomly selected voting groups. In a presidential election like 2020, the audited contest is always the president of the United States.

The audit is a comparison of the machine counts of ballots with hand-to-eye counts to ensure voting equipment recorded voters’ choices accurately. The voting systems and software of two companies – ES&S and Hart InterCivic – are certified for use in North Carolina. All counties use voting equipment from one of those companies.

Statewide, more than 150 Election Day precincts and 30 early voting sites were audited. Also, more than a dozen counties conducted a hand-to-eye audit of all mail-in absentee ballots.

Of the 200 voting groups audited, only 13 audits found any difference between the machine count and the human count, and all discrepancies were three votes or fewer. Most differences were attributed to human error, such as a voter marking outside of the bubble, or to human error during the hand count itself.

“We are glad to see that no significant issues were found during the audit,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “This successful audit is a testament to our elections officials and to the elections equipment used throughout the state. North Carolinians can be confident that their votes count.”

The State Board of Elections office conducts a series of post-election audits and investigations, where necessary, to ensure the integrity of election results. For more information on election security and audits, visit Post-Election Procedures and Audits.

The State Board will certify statewide results for most federal, statewide, multi-district and judicial contests during the state canvass at 11 a.m. Tuesday, November 24. Results in each contest are not considered official until certified by the State Board.

After state canvass, the board of elections with jurisdiction over each contest will issue a certificate of election to the prevailing candidate.

4 Facts About the Vote-Counting Process in NC

The State Board of Elections is releasing the following facts about the post-election vote-counting process in North Carolina, in part to address rapidly spreading misinformation. These processes are required by law.

It’s the Law. The post-election “canvass” process occurs after every election. Canvass is the entire 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. By law, these meetings will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, November 13. Also pursuant to state law, the State Board of Elections will meet at 11 a.m. November 24 to finalize the results. N.C.G.S. § 163-182.5.

All Eligible Ballots Must Be Counted. In 2020, county boards of elections must count absentee by-mail ballots postmarked on or before Election Day that arrive in the mail by 5 p.m. November 12. Ballots from military and overseas voters received by 5 p.m. November 12 will also be counted, as required by state law. N.C.G.S. § 163-258.12. During the post-election period, county boards also conduct research to determine whether to wholly or partially count provisional ballots. All eligible provisional ballots are counted during the canvass process. N.C.G.S. § 163-182.2. The post-election period ensures that the ballots of eligible voters will be counted as long as they meet statutory deadlines and comply with all other laws. This allows more eligible voters to lawfully exercise their right to vote.

Results Must Be Audited. After each election, the State Board randomly selects two precincts in every county, where paper ballots must be counted by hand for the highest contest on the ballot – the presidential race in 2020 – and compared with the tabulated results. Called the “sample hand-to-eye count,” this audit recounts the ballots in the random precincts to ensure reliability of machine-tabulated results. Bipartisan teams at county boards of elections have been conducting these audits during the past week. The State Board of Elections conducts additional audits to verify the accuracy of the count. The results of all audits will be submitted to the State Board as part of the final certification of the election. For more information, see the Post-Election Procedures and Audits webpage.

Elections Officials Do Not “Call” Elections. Many North Carolinians have contacted elections officials to ask why certain contests have been “called” for a particular candidate, while others have not. The state and county boards of elections have never – and will never – “call” or project a race for any candidate. Projections are made by media and/or candidates using unofficial results, typically based on the vote difference and the number of votes yet to be counted in a contest. In some cases, including the North Carolina governor’s race and North Carolina U.S. Senate race, the trailing candidates “conceded” when they realized they could not make up the vote differential with the ballots still uncounted. The State Board will certify final results on November 24. After that, the boards of elections will issue certificates of election to the prevailing candidates. N.C.G.S. § 163-182.15.

State Board Extends Voting at Additional Polling Places

The North Carolina State Board of Elections voted Tuesday evening to extend voting at six precincts after each polling site experienced interruptions in voting.

In Cabarrus County, voting will be extended 39 minutes to 8:09 p.m. at the Flowes Store Volunteer Fire Station precinct, located at 8623 Flowes Store Road, Concord, N.C. 28025.

In Sampson County, voting will be extended 40 minutes to 8:10 p.m. at the Keener (Halls Fire Station) precinct, located at 7730 Hobbton Hwy, Clinton, N.C. 28328.

Also in Sampson County, voting will be extended 21 minutes to 7:51 p.m. at the West Clinton (Sampson Community College) precinct, located at 1801 Sunset Ave., Clinton, N.C. 28328.

Three precincts experienced interruptions in Warren County.

Voting will be extended 25 minutes to 7:55 p.m. at the Fishing Creek (Arcola Volunteer Fire Department) precinct, located at 2169 NC Highway 43, Warrenton, N.C. 27589.

Voting will be extended 23 minutes to 7:53 p.m. at the Judkins (Vaughan Elementary School) precinct, located at 2936 US Highway 158 E, Macon, N.C. 27551.

Voting will be extended 30 minutes to 8 p.m. at the Smith Creek (Zion Methodist Church) precinct, located at 143 Zion Church Road, Norlina, N.C. 27563.

Once all polling places are closed statewide, election results will begin to post here: https://er.ncsbe.gov/.

With 2,660 polling sites, it is not unusual for minor issues to occur at polling sites that result in a brief disruption of voting. The State Board routinely meets to discuss the extension of hours when the need arises.

G.S. § 163-166.01 authorizes the State Board to extend voting hours at sites where voting is interrupted for at least 15 minutes, but the Board may extend voting only as long as the disruption and only for the site.

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North Carolina Begins Post-Election Processes, Final Counting, Auditing

As with any election, county boards of elections across North Carolina have begun the 10-day post-election process of counting the remaining ballots and conducting audits to verify the results.

The 100 bipartisan county boards will hold meetings to count the remaining provisional and absentee ballots and add them to unofficial election results on the Election Night Reporting website. Most of the meetings will be held on Thursday, November 12, or Friday, November 13, but some will be held this week or early next week.

Unofficial results will be added to the totals in each county after these meetings. The State Board will provide a statewide schedule of absentee board meetings as soon as possible.

The final county canvass of results is November 13. The state canvass is November 24.

State law provides that county election boards must schedule post-election absentee board meetings at least two weeks before Election Day. The meeting schedule must be published once a week for two weeks in a newspaper. The law does not permit a county board to modify the meeting schedule after the election.

“We encourage the public to be patient and let the process unfold as it does in every election,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “All results reported on election night are unofficial. The post-election process ensures that all eligible voters’ ballots are counted and that voters can be confident that the results are accurate. This is a long-established process. This year is no different.”

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North Carolina State Board of Elections

Vast Majority of NC Votes to Be Tallied and Reported on Election Night; Audits, Possible Recounts Are Part of Post-Election

The N.C. State Board of Elections anticipates that the results reported by the end of election night will include 97 percent or more of all ballots cast in North Carolina in the 2020 general election.

As always, the remaining ballots, including provisional ballots and absentee by-mail ballots that arrive after Election Day, will be counted and added to the totals during the post-election canvass period.

As they become available after all polls close Tuesday night, unofficial election results will be posted here: Election Results Dashboard.

“Please remember that all results reported on election night are unofficial. We will post results as quickly as possible, but our primary objective will be accuracy more than speed,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “State and county elections officials take many steps after every election to ensure all eligible votes are counted and the results are audited and accurate.”

Please see below for details on how votes are counted, how and when results are reported on election night and information about post-election audits, recounts and canvass.

What votes will be counted and reported on election night 2020?

The vast majority of all votes cast in the 2020 general election in North Carolina will be reported as unofficial results on November 3. All results are unofficial until the statewide certification, or canvass, scheduled for November 24, during a meeting of the State Board. (See “What happens after election night?” below.)

If all goes as expected, the following unofficial results will be reported to the public on election night through the Election Results Dashboard:

• All in-person one-stop early votes
• All by-mail absentee votes received by the county boards of elections by 5 p.m. Monday, November 2
• All Election Day votes, excluding provisional ballots, which must be researched post-election to determine voter eligibility

When will results be reported to the public?

The State Board will begin posting results publicly after polls close statewide at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. However, the State Board may extend voting hours at a polling place if polls are delayed in opening for more than 15 minutes or are interrupted for more than 15 minutes after opening. Any polling extension may not be longer than the delay in voting. No results will be posted until all polls are closed.

The State Board will issue a notice if the State Board meets on Election Day to consider polling hours extensions. The public will be able to listen to the meeting remotely.

Below is an estimated timeline of the expected reporting of unofficial results to the Election Results Dashboard. Reporting times will vary by county. Results are updated every few minutes as they come in from the counties.

• 7:30 p.m.: Polls close.
• 7:30 p.m.–9 p.m.: Counties report results of in-person, one-stop early voting and absentee by-mail ballots received by 5 p.m. Monday, November 2.
• 7:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m.: Precinct officials hand-deliver Election Day results to county boards of elections offices.
• 8:30 p.m.–midnight: Election Day precinct results are reported; reporting continues until all Election Day results are posted.

Various factors can affect the timing of results.

What happens after election night?

Elections are far from over on election night. This has always been the case. In the days that follow, the county boards of elections count the remaining ballots, research the eligibility of each provisional ballot, conduct a series of post-election audits, and conduct any necessary recounts. The State Board conducts additional audits to ensure a fair and accurate count.

These post-election processes culminate in the final certification of results, also called canvass. County boards of elections will hold their canvass meeting at 11 a.m. November 13. The State Board will meet on November 24 to certify the election.

For more information about NC election audits and canvass, see the Post-Elections Procedures and Audits webpage.

Absentee ballots. Mail-in absentee ballots postmarked on or before Election Day will be accepted by county boards of elections until 5 p.m. November 12. Overseas and military absentee ballots also are accepted through November 12. These ballots will be added to the unofficial results during the canvass process.

Provisional ballot meetings. Provisional ballots are cast when an individual’s name does not appear on the poll book or other questions arise about that person’s eligibility to vote or to vote a particular ballot.

Each county board of elections meets before certifying the results to make decisions on provisional applications submitted by voters. If the board determines that the voter is eligible, the provisional ballot is counted. If the voter is eligible for some contests on the ballot but not others, the eligible contests will be counted. These ballots will be added to the unofficial results during the canvass process.

Sample Audit. Every county conducts a sample hand-to-eye count of ballots in randomly selected precincts and one-stop locations to confirm results tabulated by machine. Counties must conduct their hand-to-eye counts in public.

County canvass. County boards of elections will certify their results at public meetings held at 11 a.m. Friday, November 13. The county board certifies contests and referenda within the county boundaries.

Recounts. Any mandatory recounts would be conducted by county boards of elections after the county canvass and before the state canvass. For statewide contests, the vote difference must be 10,000 votes or fewer for a candidate who is the runner-up to demand a recount. For non-statewide contests, the difference between the candidates must be 1 percent or less of the total votes cast in the contest. The recount demand must be in writing and received by the State Board of Elections no later than noon on Tuesday, November 17. If a recount is demanded, the State Board of Elections office would issue a schedule, and the counties would conduct recounts individually during open meetings.

For contests under jurisdiction of county boards of elections, a demand for recount must be made in writing to the county board of elections by 5 p.m. Monday, November 16.

N.C.G.S. § 163-182.7.

See general guidelines for recounts: 08 NCAC 09 .0106.

And see Recount of Optical Scan Ballots: 08 NCAC 09 .0107.

State canvass. The State Board of Elections will certify statewide results for all federal, statewide, multi-district and judicial contests at a public meeting held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24. Results in each contest are not considered official until certified by the State Board. After state canvass, the board of elections with jurisdiction over each contest will issue a certificate of election to the prevailing candidate.

5 Important Facts About Election Security in 2020

1. Under state law, all voting systems used in North Carolina must use paper ballots, producing a paper trail that can be recounted and audited. Every voter in all 100 counties will cast a paper ballot.

2. Election night results are always unofficial. In the days that follow the election, election officials will ensure every eligible ballot is counted. They will audit and certify the results. This is a regular process after each election.

3. In North Carolina, about 2,660 polling places will be open on Election Day and perhaps one million voters will cast ballots on November 3. Unexpected issues arise during every election, such as power outages, voting equipment malfunctions, tabulator or printer jams and long lines at some voting places. These are not indications of malicious activity, and processes are in place to respond to each of these scenarios.

4. Because of COVID-19, North Carolinians are voting by mail in record numbers this year. All ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day to be counted. Because of the surge in by-mail voting, more ballots than usual will be counted after Election Day. This means more North Carolinians will be able to vote successfully, despite the pandemic.

5. Every polling place is staffed with bipartisan, trained officials from the local community who take an oath to uphold state elections laws and work together to ensure election security. Bipartisan State and county boards of elections oversee all aspects of elections in North Carolina.

North Carolina State Board of Elections

10 Tips for North Carolina Voters on Election Day

With the early voting period ending Saturday, October 31, North Carolina voters still wanting to cast a ballot may vote in person on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3.

The State Board offers the following tips for Election Day voters:

1. On Election Day, polls across North Carolina are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters in line at 7:30 p.m. will be able to cast a ballot. Lines tend to be longer before and after normal business hours.

2. Find your Election Day polling place through the Voter Search or the Polling Place Search.

3. Sample ballots are available through the Voter Search tool. Information about N.C. Supreme Court and N.C. Court of Appeals candidates is available in the 2020 Judicial Voter Guide.

4. To protect voters and election workers, masks and hand sanitizer will be available to all voters. Social distancing will be enforced at voting sites. Read more at the Voting and Coronavirus page.

5. If you are voting by mail and have not returned your ballot, you may not return your ballot to a polling site on Election Day. You may mail your ballot back or return your ballot sealed inside the completed envelope to your county board of elections by 5 p.m. on Election Day. Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day. Mailed ballots that are postmarked on or before Election Day must be received by November 12. If you mail your ballot on or before Election Day, you may not vote again in person.

6. Same-day registration is not available on Election Day. If you are not registered to vote by Election Day, you will be unable to vote in the general election.

7. Voters are not required to show photo ID to vote in the 2020 general election.

8. Voters who need assistance at the polls must request that assistance. Curbside voting is available for voters who are unable to enter the voting place without assistance due to age or disability. Once inside the polling place, voters who experience difficulties should request help from an election worker. For more information, see the Help for Voters with Disabilities page.

9. The State Board asks that all voters respect the right of others to participate in the election. Intimidating any voter is a crime. Voters who feel harassed or intimidated should notify an election official immediately.

10. If you present to vote and your name is not on the voter list, you may request a provisional ballot. About 10 days after an election, voters who cast a provisional ballot can check the status of their ballot with the Provisional Search tool.

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