By Carolina Journal Staff
Ahead of Tuesday’s general election, the State Board of Elections outlined the election night vote-counting process and the timeline for finalizing results. The Board anticipates that by the end of election night, around 98% of votes will be counted and reported.
Ballots that will not be counted by the end of Election Day include absentee ballots received on Election Day; military and overseas-citizen absentee ballots that arrive by mail at county board of elections offices from Election Day through 5 p.m. Nov. 14; certain absentee ballots dropped off by voters from the 25 counties affected by Hurricane Helene at election offices or early voting sites outside of the voters’ home counties (2024 election only); and all provisional ballots, which must be researched after the election to determine voter eligibility.
State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell emphasized the importance of accuracy and transparency in the vote-counting process, aiming to clarify how election results are reported.
“We strongly encourage the news media to inform their audiences about vote counting and post-election processes in North Carolina,” Bell said. “This is one part of the election process where we continue to battle false information.”
The elections board provided a detailed outline of election night and post-election procedures to ensure voters and observers understand the process:
Poll Closing and Possible Extensions: Polls will close statewide at 7:30 p.m., but any voters still in line will be allowed to cast their ballots. If any polling place experiences a disruption, the State Board can extend hours specifically for that location, which could delay reporting in the affected county.
Unofficial Results on Election Night: While results will be shared on the State Board’s election results dashboard, these will remain unofficial until they are reviewed and certified.
Additional Ballots Counted Post-Election: Following Election Day, a bipartisan team in each of North Carolina’s 100 counties will process outstanding ballots, including absentee ballots received on Election Day, military ballots, and provisional ballots. These additional counts will be added to the dashboard over the 10-day canvass period, culminating in official certifications on Nov. 15 for local contests and Nov. 26 for statewide contests.
Timeline for Reporting: As results start coming in, counties will update the dashboard between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. with early voting and absentee ballots received prior to Election Day. Results from precincts will follow, with uploads continuing until all available ballots are reported.
New Rules for Early Voting Results: Due to recent legislative changes, early voting results can only be counted and reported after polls close, causing an expected delay of up to an hour on election night. This change allows county boards to “close the polls” on early voting machines before counting those ballots.
Provisional and Military Ballots: Because 2024 is the first general election under North Carolina’s new photo ID requirement, the board anticipates a higher volume of provisional ballots. These will be assessed post-election, with valid ballots added to the vote count.
Early voting closed on Saturday, and North Carolina shattered records. More than 4.4 million voters cast ballots, or 57% of the 7.8 million registered voters in the state. This is far ahead of the 3.6 million ballots cast during early voting in the 2020 election.
Additional resources on the process are available on the state board’s election results dashboard.
