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See also: Efforts to Extend the Voter Registration Deadline Following Hurricane Matthew

North Carolina State Board of Elections
January 27, 2017

SBE: NVRA Registrations Increase Dramatically

RALEIGH, N.C. — The number of North Carolinians who registered to vote or updated their registrations through various state agencies under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) more than doubled since 2012, from about 345,000 that year to a record 715,000 in 2016.

Under NVRA, certain agencies that provide public services, such as county departments of social services and Division of Motor Vehicles offices, must also provide voter registration services to their customers.

Registrations and updated registrations initiated at public assistance agencies, including DSS offices, dipped in 2013 and 2014, which are non-presidential-election years, but rebounded to more than 30,000 in 2015 and a record high of 48,910 in 2016.

At DMV offices, the increase in voter registrations and updates was more dramatic. That was mainly because the DMV’s secure online system now allows customers to update their voter records when they make changes to their driver’s licenses and other DMV records. More than 661,000 DMV customers registered to vote or updated their registrations in 2016, up 81 percent from 366,000 in 2015.

“Through partnerships between boards of elections and public agencies across North Carolina, voter registrations submitted or updated through those agencies rose to an all-time high in 2016,” said Kim Westbrook Strach, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “This is great news for voter participation and will help ensure the accuracy of North Carolina’s voter rolls moving forward.”

For more detailed NVRA data, go to the State Board of Elections’ website at http://www.ncsbe.gov/Voter-Registration/NVRA.

 

The North Carolina State Board of Elections is the state agency charged with overall responsibility for administration of the elections process and campaign finance disclosure in North Carolina. The office of the State Board of Elections works in conjunction with County Board of Elections offices to ensure that elections are conducted lawfully and fairly.

For additional information visit North Carolina State Board of Elections website at www.ncsbe.gov. For more on Voter ID visit www.voterid.nc.gov.


November 18, 2016

SBE: Statement on County Canvasses

RALEIGH, N.C. – This release serves to update the public on the status of general election results and certain processes now underway across the state.

County Canvass

State law established Friday (Nov. 18) as the date for local certification of election results in the state’s 100 counties. This initial canvass of results confirms that all votes have been counted and tabulated correctly. That is followed by a final certification of statewide totals by the State Board of Elections. Counties may, however, delay canvass for a “reasonable time” if the initial counting has not been completed. Many, if not all, counties are expected to do just that.

Postponing canvass is necessary when certain decisions have not been made regarding provisional ballots, certain types of election protests are pending, or a delay is necessary to comply with a judicial order. The counties have good reason to extend their canvasses this year, including a recent court order.  

In the final days of early voting, a federal court required election officials and the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to create a new review process for certain voters who claim they registered or changed their address at the DMV, even if no record of registration could be found.  The State Board acted immediately to create necessary procedures and to print special materials for North Carolina’s 2,700 precincts in the week before Election Day. The order requires counties to approve a provisional ballot if the voter affirms she either registered or changed her address at the DMV, unless DMV can locate a signed form declining voter registration services during a certain period of time. The process of locating that data remains ongoing.

Recounts

After counties canvass, a statewide candidate who trails by 10,000 votes or fewer may demand a recount by noon on the second business day. If a recount is demanded, the counties would conduct recounts individually in public view.

The State Board of Elections is scheduled to meet at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, for the statewide canvass.

Protests

Meanwhile, a number of election protests have been filed with county boards of elections across the state. If the protest concerns the counting of ballots, county boards should meet as soon as possible to determine whether there is probable cause that a violation or irregularity occurred. If so, the boards will conduct a full hearing on the protest. Protests can result in different outcomes, including dismissal, re-tabulation, or other options spelled out in G.S. § 163-182.10. Appeals are to the State Board of Elections.

The State Board of Elections works with 100 County Boards of Elections to ensure elections are conducted lawfully and fairly. “The canvassing process ensures that elections are fair and results are reliable,” said Kim Westbrook Strach, executive director of the State Board. “This agency will do what is necessary to protect the integrity of the election and give confidence to all North Carolinians.”

 

The North Carolina State Board of Elections is the state agency charged with overall responsibility for administration of the elections process and campaign finance disclosure in North Carolina. The office of the State Board of Elections works in conjunction with County Board of Elections offices to ensure that elections are conducted lawfully and fairly.

For additional information visit North Carolina State Board of Elections website at www.ncsbe.gov. For more on Voter ID visit www.voterid.nc.gov.


November 9, 2016

SBE: Post-Election Process

RALEIGH, N.C. – The State Board of Elections Office is circulating the below outline of post-election processes administered throughout the state’s 100 counties:

  1. Absentee ballots. Mail-in absentee ballots postmarked on or before Election Day will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Nov. 14.  Overseas and military absentee ballots are accepted through Nov. 17.
  2. 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.
  3. Provisional ballot meetings. Each county board of elections will meet before certifying the election to make decisions on provisional applications submitted by voters during early voting and on Election Day.  If the board determines that the voter is eligible, the provisional ballot is counted. Provisional ballots are cast when an individual’s registration information does not appear in the poll books or there are other questions about that person’s eligibility to vote.
  4. County canvass. County boards of elections will certify results at public meetings held at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 18.  
  5. Recounts. For statewide contests this year, the vote difference must be 10,000 votes or less for a candidate to demand a recount after the county canvass. The demand for a recount must be in writing and received by the State Board of Elections no later than noon Tuesday, Nov. 22. 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 non-statewide contests, the difference between the candidates must be within 1 percent of the total votes cast in the ballot item.
  6. 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. 29.  Results in each contest are not considered official until that date. 

The North Carolina State Board of Elections is the state agency charged with overall responsibility for administration of the elections process and campaign finance disclosure in North Carolina. The office of the State Board of Elections works in conjunction with County Board of Elections offices to ensure that elections are conducted lawfully and fairly.

For additional information visit North Carolina State Board of Elections website at www.ncsbe.gov. For more on Voter ID visit www.voterid.nc.gov.


 November 5, 2016

SBE: Statement on Early Voting

RALEIGH, N.C. – Through early Saturday afternoon, more than 3 million North Carolina voters had cast ballots in the 2016 General Election, either through in-person early voting or by mailing in absentee ballots. That’s 44 percent of the state’s registered voters.

Through 2 p.m. Saturday, 2.9 million voters had cast ballots during the 17-day in-person early voting period, a 13.4 percent increase over the entire 2012 early voting period.

All voters in line at one-stop early voting sites when the polls close today will be able to cast ballots. Several counties have hours that extend past 1 p.m.

“We are proud of the highest early voting turnout in the state’s history,” said Kim Westbrook Strach, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “Statewide, North Carolina had more early voting hours and more sites than ever before.” See news release.

The vast majority of North Carolina’s counties adopted early voting plans with bipartisan support. Immediately after the early voting period, county boards of elections must prepare poll books and other materials for Election Day.

Updated 2016 absentee statistics are available here.

Statistics for the entire 2012 early voting period are available here.

 

The North Carolina State Board of Elections is the state agency charged with overall responsibility for administration of the elections process and campaign finance disclosure in North Carolina. The office of the State Board of Elections works in conjunction with County Board of Elections offices to ensure that elections are conducted lawfully and fairly.

For additional information visit North Carolina State Board of Elections website at www.ncsbe.gov. For more on Voter ID visit www.voterid.nc.gov.


October 10, 2016

Early Voting Hours, Sites Increase from 2012

RALEIGH, N.C — County boards of elections offices across North Carolina have scheduled more than 42,400 total hours of early voting for the 2016 general election, a 16 percent increase over 2012. Also, the 444 early voting locations statewide represent a 21 percent increase over 2012.

In many counties, voters who want to beat longer Election Day lines also can take advantage of more evening hours and more Saturday and Sunday hours in 2016 compared to four years ago. (Download: PDF/Data for more details on early voting hours statewide and by county.)

“Voters have many options when casting ballots this year, and we encourage them to use the option that best fits their schedules,” said Kim Westbrook Strach, executive director of the N.C. State Board of Elections.