The Buncombe County Board of Elections certified the results of the 2026 Primary Election on March 13, completing the official canvass process required by North Carolina law. The board met to review administrative challenges, audit voting types, and allow members to inspect results before final certification.
The certification process is important because it ensures that all votes are counted accurately and that any outstanding absentee or provisional ballots are properly researched and included if eligible. This step is especially significant in close elections, as officials must verify voter eligibility for provisional ballots and count timely absentee ballots.
A total of 30,772 ballots were cast during Early Voting and 23,267 on Election Day, representing nearly 26% of eligible voters in Buncombe County. Of the 304 provisional ballots submitted countywide, 129 were disapproved due to reasons such as unregistered voters or incorrect party ballot selection. Absentee ballots accounted for about 1.5% of total votes with 831 mail-in ballots received before the deadline; however, 192 absentee ballots were disallowed, including 181 that arrived after Election Day. A change in state law now prohibits counting any ballot received after polls close at 7:30 p.m., regardless of postmark.
Election Services Director Corinne Duncan said, “The work that goes into certifying an election is labor intensive and important. Our staff worked tirelessly, adapted to changes, and met all deadlines. The process continues to go more and more smoothly each election.”
A sample audit was conducted on March 9 when two precincts were randomly selected for a hand tally by the State Board of Elections. The hand counts matched machine tallies exactly and this information was reported to state officials.
In other local education news, recent data show that among senior students taking the science portion of the ACT in Buncombe County school districts during the 2022-23 school year, about 28.5% were considered ready for college according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. For juniors taking the same test, approximately 30.1% met college readiness standards according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. In reading, about 41.1% of seniors and 43.2% of juniors achieved college readiness according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Math scores showed that roughly a quarter (25.6%) of seniors and nearly a third (32.7%) of juniors reached college-ready benchmarks according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
The next meeting for the Buncombe County Board of Elections is scheduled for April 14 at its Woodfin Street location.
