North Carolina Republicans pressed state election officials on Friday to make public more information about the number of outstanding ballots from this week’s election that could be counted.

Nearly a dozen Election Day races in North Carolina, including those for president and U.S. Senate, remain too early to call because as many as 172,000 ballots have either yet to be counted or rejected, or could trickle in before next week’s deadline to receive mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day.

The actual number of ballots that will arrive is likely to be less, however, because many people who requested absentee ballots ended up voting on Election Day or perhaps didn’t vote at all. And past elections show a significant portion of the 41,000 provisional ballots cast on Tuesday will be rejected.

There are also nearly 32,000 absentee ballots that have been accepted by counties, but not yet tallied since a cutoff for inclusion in the Election Night results.

Election boards in nine counties had scheduled meetings Friday to decide whether to accept 4,300 absentee ballots received by mail and add them to their election night tabulations. Other county boards will meet in the coming days.

State GOP Chairman Michael Whatley told reporters on Friday that Republicans recognize the formal counting process that state law requires takes time. But he said the release of more data on absentee ballots could bring finality to top races sooner, or allow trailing candidates in extremely close races to prepare to ask for recounts.

“We do not see anything in the provisional counts or in the absentee counts that gives us any heartburn,” Whatley said. “Our message is that Donald Trump has won North Carolina and that Thom Tillis has won North Carolina.”

The five-member state board is appointed by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. Three board members are Democrats.

Photo via AP Photo/Gerry Broome.

Related Stories
‹
North Carolina Governor Adds 2 GOP Members to Election Board
North Carolina’s governor has appointed two Republicans to the State Board of Elections to replace predecessors who resigned amid pushback over absentee ballot procedures they had voted to support. Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, has appointed Carr McLamb, a lawyer who previously worked at two state agencies; and Tommy Tucker, a former legislator, to the […]
Judge Halts New North Carolina Absentee Witness Info Rule
A federal judge has halted new North Carolina absentee voting rules that gave voters more leeway to fix witness problems and extended the period when elections boards could accept mailed-in ballots. The rules, issued last week in a settlement with voting rights advocates, were blocked by a temporary restraining order issued Saturday by U.S. District […]
NC Halts Plan to Resolve Ballot Issue With Voter Affidavits
Pending a legal review, the North Carolina State Board of Elections is suspending steps to allow voters to correct absentee ballots lacking the required witness signature by signing an affidavit. In a memo sent to county elections officials on Thursday, the state board’s executive director, Karen Brinson Bell, ordered them to hit the brakes on […]
Trump Campaign Sues to Block NC Mail-in Ballot Rule Changes
President Donald Trump’s campaign committee and the Republican National Committee sued Saturday to block North Carolina election officials from enforcing rule changes that could boost the number of ballots counted in the presidential battleground state. The Republicans’ lawsuit claims a new system adopted by the State Board of Elections will allow for absentee ballots to […]
NC Elections Board, Republicans Spar Over Absentee Changes
North Carolina’s currently Democratic-only elections board exchanged public jabs with state Republican heavyweights on Friday over the efficacy and legality of a brokered agreement intended to ease some absentee ballot rules for the November election. The State Board of Elections this week altered some guidance to county boards related to mail-in ballots as demand for […]
North Carolina GOP Elections Board Members Resign Over Absentee Settlement
The two Republican members of North Carolina’s state elections board have resigned after signing off on a settlement to help voters fix absentee ballot problems that has been criticized by state GOP leaders. Ken Raymond and David Black announced their resignations late Wednesday from the North Carolina State Board of Elections over the tentative agreement […]
North Carolina Absentee Ballots Are Being Distributed Following 2-Week Delay
Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS North Carolina counties started distributing absentee ballots Tuesday for the November general election to those who requested them, roughly two weeks later than anticipated as a legal challenge forced delays. Election officials in all 100 counties planned to mail out the first ballots to regular state residents starting Tuesday. Ballots to […]
North Carolina’s Absentee Ballot Release Was Delayed by RFK Jr. Ruling, but Will Begin This Week
North Carolina's first absentee ballots for the November election will be distributed starting this week, the State Board of Elections said.
Elections Board, Absentee, Early Vote Changes Heard by North Carolina Senate Panel
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON North Carolina Republican senators began on Wednesday to attempt to advance wide-ranging voting measures addressing early and absentee balloting and transferring control over the state election board from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to legislative leaders. The sponsors of the two measures pitched to a Senate committee said they’re designed to […]
Judge Denies GOP Appeal for Signature Checks on Mail Ballots
Written by HANNAH SCHOENBAUM North Carolina’s State Board of Elections directed county election officials on Monday not to engage in signature matching when reviewing absentee ballot envelopes this fall after a judge rejected the GOP appeal of a state board ruling prohibiting the practice. According to a directive sent to county election directors from the […]
›