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All assets associated with the tag: provisional ballot

Provisional ballot Coverage

Several races in Wake County were unofficially decided Tuesday night by very thin margins. Absentee and provisional ballots that haven't been counted yet could still change those outcomes, though that's pretty rare. 

Close races in Wake County could hinge on absentee, provisional ballots

'I voted' sticker

Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023 -- Gov. Cooper should veto this transparently partisan bill aimed at giving Republicans advantage at the polls. Legislators should seek to provide election rules that work to encourage and enable all eligible voters to cast ballots by Election Day and assure that every properly cast ballot is accurately counted.

Editorial: Proposed law aims at GOP partisan advantage, not election integrity 

Some Suburban Strongholds Swing Back to GOP in New York and Across U.S.

The Wake County Board of Elections met on Thursday to finish reviewing late-arriving absentee ballots and provisional ballots so local election results can be certified on Friday.

TO PRESIDENT TRUMP 49.2%. >>> TOMORROW IS THE DAY COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA OFFICIALLY COMPLETE THEIR VOTE COUNT. TODAY, THE WAKE COUNTY ELECTION BOARD WENT THROUGH THOUSANDS OF REMAINING BALLOTS. WRAL  CAPITAL BUREAU CHIEF LAURA LESLIE HAS BEEN WATCHING THIS PROCESS ALL DAY AND WHEN THIS LIFE VIA ZOOM TO FILL US IN. >> Reporter: CONTRARY TO SOME CONSPIRACY THEORIES, THE DATE FOR THE COUNTY CANVAS WAS NOT DELAYED, IT WAS SET BY STATE LAW 10 DAYS AFTER THE ELECTION. AT THIS HOUR, THE BOARD IS STILL GOING THROUGH THOSE REMAINING BALLOTS, BUT THE END IS IN SIGHT. DUE TO A COURT RULING, MAIL-IN BALLOTS POSTMARKED BY ELECTION DAY, BUT DELAYED IN THE MAIL, WERE ACCEPTED THROUGH TODAY. HOWEVER, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THOSE CAME IN LAST WEEK. IN WAKE COUNTY, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF CASES WHERE VOTERS MAILED IN THEIR BALLOTS NEAR THE END OF THE PERIOD, THEN ALSO VOTED ON ELECTION DAY. IN THOSE CASES, THE MAIL-IN BALLOTS WERE REJECTED. UNDER STATE LAW, YOU ONLY GET TO VOTE ONCE. IN MANY CASES, BOARDS HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PENDING BALLOT ONE BY ONE, IF THE POSTMARK CAN BE READ, OR IF THE BALLOT HAD BEEN DAMAGED IN TRANSIT. WAKE COUNTY BOARD MEMBER ANGELA HAWKINS HELD UP ONE THAT SHOWED SIGNS OF CANINE INTERFERENCE. >> LOOKS LIKE A DOG CHEWED IT. LOOKS ALMOST LIKE A MOUSE. >> I THINK IT WAS A DIFFERENT PARTY THAN THE VOTER, SO HE TOOK THAT. >> Reporter: THAT BALLOT WAS APPROVED, BY THE WAY. TOOTH MARKS DO NOT DISQUALIFY IT. WAKE COUNTY ALSO HAD MORE THAN 3400 PROVISIONAL BALLOTS CAST ON ELECTION DAY. ABOUT 1900 OF THOSE, A LITTLE OVER HALF, APPROVED BY THE BOARD TO BE FULLY OR PARTIALLY COUNTED, DEPENDING ON THE BALLOTS THEY RECEIVED,  WHERE THEY VOTED..COUNT IS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY.

Final vote counts nearing in NC elections

Wake officials finish counting absentee, provisional ballots

WRAL Statehouse Reporter Travis Fain breaks down the number of ballots that still could be added to North Carolina's totals before results are finalized.

RECOUNT DUE TO THE MARGIN, AND PENNSYLVANIA DEMOCRATS ASKED THE SUPREME COURT TO WAIT BEFORE TAKING UP THE CASE. &gt;&gt; WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO KEEP WAITING HERE. TRAVIS FAIN IS TRACKING THE PROGRESS FOR US NOW. THERE COULD BE 171,000 OR SO VOTES STILL OUT THERE. THERE ARE 99,000 "BALLOTS UNRETURNED. OVER 31,000 BALLOTS HAVE ARRIVED OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. IF THEY'RE LEGAL VOTES, THEY MAY COUNT. THEN NEARLY 41,000 PROVISIONAL BALLOTS. NINE BOARDS OF ELECTIONS ARE MEETING TODAY ON THESE ISSUES.

Votes counted after Election Day come in different forms

North Carolina elections officials said Thursday that it could take a few weeks until records are updated to reflect in an online database whether someone cast a ballot in this year's election.

Vote not showing up in online database? Don't worry, NC elections officials say

North Carolina voters cast 40,766 provisional ballots in Tuesday's elections, which local officials must determine whether to count, according to the State Board of Elections.

PRESIDENT TRUMP'S LEAD HAS DROPPED TO LESS THAN 10,000 VOTES, WITH MORE BALLOTS STILL TO BE COUNTED. &gt;&gt;&gt; WE HAVE THREE REPORTERS TRACKING THE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ELECTION. MARK DOYLE AND LENA TILLETT ARE WATCHING THE NATIONAL PICTURE. WE ARE STARTING AT HOME WITH MORE THAN 40,000 PROVISIONAL BALLOTS CAST IN NORTH CAROLINA. WRAL'S CAPITAL BUREAU CHIEF LAURA LESLIE START COVERAGE, WITH WHAT THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY MEAN. LAURA? &gt;&gt; Reporter: DEBRA, PROFESSIONAL BALLOTS ARE WHAT YOU ARE GIVEN WHEN YOU GO INTO A PRECINCT TO VOTE, BUT ELECTION OFFICIALS CAN FIND YOUR NAME IN THE PUBLIC TO DETERMINE YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE. IT'S A FAILSAFE TO MAKE SURE AND INELIGIBLE VOTERS AND TURNED AWAY BECAUSE OF A CLERICAL ERROR BECAUSE THEY WENT TO THE WRONG PRECINCT INTO THE COUNTY WOULD THEY ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE. A WHOLE LOT OF THOSE ARE NOT GOING TO BE COUNTED. 2016, FOR EXAMPLE, NEARLY 61,000 PROVISIONAL BALLOTS WERE CAST, ONLY ABOUT 20,000 OF THOSE WERE COUNTED, ABOUT 44%. THIS TUESDAY, ONLY ABOUT 41,000 WERE CAST AT 44%, THAT'S ABOUT 18,000 THAT'LL PROBABLY COUNT. STATE ELECTIONS DIRECTOR SAYS THEY GENERALLY BREAK DOWN ALONG THE SAME LINES AS OVERALL VOTING, SO THEY ARE NOT LIKELY TO GIVE EITHER SIDE AN ADVANTAGE. &gt;&gt; I DON'T KNOW HISTORICALLY IF IT'S EVER BEEN A GAME CHANGER IN A STATEWIDE CONTEST. &gt;&gt; Reporter: WHAT ABOUT THE OUTSTANDING ABSENTEE BALLOTS? I'VE HEARD A LOT OF QUESTIONS FROM PEOPLE, CAN THEY CHANGE THE OUTCOME? WE SHOW YOU WHY THAT'S NOT LIKELY TO HAPPEN. ON OUR CURRENT VOTE TOTALS, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS ABOUT 2.7 MILLION, AND 2.6 MILLION. THE PRESIDENT IS LEADING RIGHT NOW BY A LITTLE OVER 76,000 VOTES. THERE ARE ABOUT 116,000 ABSENTEE VOTES, STILL OUTSTANDING OUT THERE. NOW FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT, RIGHT, LET'S SAY ALL 116,000 OF THOSE BALLOTS COME BACK, THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, IT'S USUALLY UNDER 50%. LET'S JUST SAY THEY DO AND LET'S SAY THEY BREAK 3 TO 1 IN FAVOR OF JOE BIDEN, WHICH ALSO PROBABLY WON'T HAPPEN STATEWIDE, BUT FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT, RIGHT? YOU WOULD THROW IN AN EXTRA 87,000 TO VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN, EXTRA 29,000 TWO THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN, THE PRESIDENT IS STILL IN THE LEAD BY MORE THAN 19,000 VOTES. SO IN ORDER FOR THOSE ABSENTEE BALLOTS TO ACTUALLY CHANGE THE OUTCOME OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION HERE, THEY WOULD HAVE TO ALMOST ALL COME BACK, AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO ALMOST ALL COME BACK FOR JOE BIDEN. NOW THEORETICALLY, IS THAT POSSIBLE? SURE, THEORETICALLY I COULD WIN THE LOTTERY. STATISTICALLY, EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY IMPROBABLE. DEBRA? &gt;&gt; YOU ARE BECOMING A MATH

Unlikely enough votes still left to change NC's presidential election

More than 40,000 provisional ballots cast by NC voters

Election Day is Nov. 6, but early voting is underway

Anyone looking for finality to the 2020 elections will have to wait a bit longer in North Carolina.

STATES, ASKING PENNSYLVANIA AND MICHIGAN TO STOP COUNTING BALLOTS AND SEEKING A RECOUNT IN WISCONSIN. OFFICIALS IN NORTH CAROLINA SAY THERE HAS BEEN NO LEGAL ACTION HERE OVER THE ELECTION PROCESS. NORTH CAROLINA IS ONE OF THE RACES LABELED STILL TOO CLOSE TO CALL. HERE IS A LOOK AT WHERE WE STAND RIGHT NOW. 76,000 VOTES SEPARATE PRESIDENT TRUMP AND JOE BIDEN IN THE TAR HEEL STATE. MANY NEWS OUTLETS INCLUDING WRAL ARE WAITING TO CALL THE RACE UNTIL WE KNOW MORE ABOUT THE 117,000 ABSENTEE BALLOTS NOT YET RECEIVED , AND PROVISIONAL BALLOTS. >> TODAY WE LEARNED THAT WEIGHT COULD BE A WEEK OR MORE. THE STATE ELECTIONS DIRECTOR SAID THIS AFTERNOON THAT WE SHOULD NOT EXPECT THESE VOTE TOTALS TO CHANGE UNTIL THE END OF NEXT WEEK. WRAL'S ADAM OWENS IS TRACKING THE PROCESS, JOINING US LIVE TO EXPLAIN EXACTLY WHAT  IS HAPPENING. ADAM? >> Reporter: THIS COULD TAKE A WHILE BECAUSE THIS WAS A VERY POPULAR WAY TO VOTE IN THIS ELECTION BY MAIL, BUT, THAT ALSO MEANS THAT BALLOTS HAVE NOT YET BEEN RETURNED, AND THEREFORE HAVE NOT YET BEEN COUNTED. IN THE STATE, 1-8 OF THOSE WAS HERE IN WAKE COUNTY. >> WE ARE IN THE PRACTICE OF CALLING WINNERS OF ELECTIONS, WE COUNT THE BALLOTS AND CERTIFY RESULTS, AND THAT WILL DETERMINE THE WINNERS. >> STATE ELECTION OFFICIALS SAY THEY ARE RUNNING THIS ONE OF THE WAY STATE LAW DEMANDS, THE SAME WAY THEY HAVE IN THE PAST, BUT THIS YEAR, THE DEMAND FOR ELECTIONS RESULTS ARE HIGH. >> THE ACTUAL CASTING OF BALLOTS HAS ENDED. BUT, THE ELECTION IS NOT OVER. >> Reporter: 117,000 ABSENTEE BALLOTS SENT TO VOTERS HAVE NOT YET BEEN RETURNED. ACCORDING TO THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF VOTES ARE IN WAKE COUNTY WITH MORE THAN 15,000 OUTSTANDING. AROUND THE SAME NUMBER IN MECKLENBURG COUNTY, AND IN DOVER COUNTY, MORE THAN 6700. >> WE NEVER STOP COUNTING, UNTIL ALL ELIGIBLE VOTES ARE COUNTED, AND ADDED TO THE FINAL CERTIFIED AND AUDITED RESULTS. >> Reporter: STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KAREN KRISTEN BELL SAYS THAT WILL BE A WHILE. MOST COUNTIES DO NOT PLAN TO START COUNTING UNTIL NEXT WEEK. THE NUMBER OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS TO BE COUNTED COULD LIKELY CHANGE. PEOPLE WHO DECIDED TO VOTE IN PERSON ON ELECTION DAY INSTEAD OF MAILING IN WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE 117,000 TOTAL. >> WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE JUST DECIDED NOT TO VOTE FROM THAT BALLOT AT ALL. >> Reporter: TRAVIS FAIN IS WRAL'S STATEHOUSE REPORTER, I ASKED HIM WHAT RACES  THESE VOTES COULD CHANGE.'S BUDGET WOULD BE HARD FOR ME TO SEE A STATEWIDE RACE SWINGING ON THIS. SOME OF THE DOWN BALLOT THINGS, THERE IS ONE NORTH CAROLINA HOUSE RACE WITH 360 VOTES. >> Reporter: OUR JOB IS TO GET THE COUNT RIGHT, AS BEST AS WE CAN, BUT ABOVE ALL CORRECT. IT IS NOT JUST THE ABSENTEE BALLOTS OUT THERE THAT HAVE NOT BEEN COUNTED, THERE ARE ALSO THOSE PROVISIONAL BALLOTS AS WELL. STATE ELECTION OFFICIALS SAY THEY ARE STILL WAITING ON COUNTIES ACROSS THE STATE TO TELL THEM HOW MANY OF THOSE PROVISIONAL BALLOTS MAY STILL BE OUT THERE.

Wake has biggest chunk of NC's outstanding absentee ballots

It's still unclear how many votes still need to be counted among both provisional ballots cast Tuesday and absentee ballots  that are still in the mail, but it could be enough to change the outcomes of some races

BIDEN AND 213 FOR DONALD TRUMP. THIS IS WHAT WE ARE MONITORING VERY CLOSELY. IT TAKES PATIENCE TO WAIT FOR A FULL ELECTION COUNT. TRAVIS JOINS US NOW TO EXPLAIN WHAT WE ARE WAITING ON AND WHEN IT WILL COME. WE WERE TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT HOW THINGS WILL POTENTIALLY PROGRESS ONCE THE ELECTION DAY TOTALS CHIME IN. &gt;&gt; WE HERE AT WRAL-TV , EVEN THOUGH TRUMP AND TILLIS HAVE A SMALL BUT ADEQUATE LEAD, WHY IS THAT? BASICALLY, WE DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW MANY VOTES ARE OUT THERE STILL BUT IT IS THEORETICALLY ENOUGH TO CHANGE THE OUTCOME. THE PRESIDENT UP ABOUT 76,000 AND SOME CHANGE. HOW MANY ARE STILL OUT THERE? THAT IS TWO CATEGORIES, PROVISIONAL AND ABSENTEE. PROVISIONAL WAS CAST BUT THE STATE HAVE NOT DECIDED YET WHETHER IT SHOULD COUNT. SOMEONE SHOWS UP ON ELECTION DAY AND IT'S HIS THEY ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE. WE KNOW 2700 OF THOSE WERE CAST IN EARLY VOTING BUT THE STATE HAS NOT UPDATED HOW MANY THERE WERE ON ELECTION DAY. THE ABSENTEE BALLOTS, THE BIGGER NUMBER BUT WE KNOW NEARLY 1 MILLION PEOPLE VOTED BY MAIL BUT THERE IS STILL 170,000 ABSENTEE BALLOTS OUT THERE AND WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE VOTED YESTERDAY, CANCELING THE MAIL IN BALLOT. THE HARDER QUESTION IS HOW MANY PEOPLE MAILED IN THEIR BALLOT CLOSE TO THE DEADLINE, GOT THAT POSTMARK REQUIRED YESTERDAY BUT THE POST OFFICE HAS UNTIL NOVEMBER 12 TO DELIVER THOSE. WE DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO DETERMINE HOW MANY OF THESE ARE OUTSTANDING AND HOW MANY GOT CANCELED BECAUSE THE VOTER VOTED ON ELECTION DAY AND HOW MANY DID NOT RETURN BY THE DEADLINE BUT WHEN YOU ADD IT UP, I THINK WE ARE GETTING INTO THE UNLIKELY TERRITORY. &gt;&gt; THAT IS WHY IT IS SO CRITICAL. WE HAVE BEEN SAYING WE NEED TO WAIT FOR EVERY SINGLE VOTE TO BE COUNTED. THAT IS WHERE JOE BIDEN AND DONALD TRUMP LEACH WILL EXPAND.