Election Day was two days ago, and North Carolina still does not have a clear answer on who will be the state’s governor going forward.

Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper delivered an acceptance speech early Wednesday morning. But incumbent Republican Governor Pat McCrory said it was too early for a definitive answer. McCrory said he would wait until all of the votes had been counted in North Carolina, including provisional and mail-in ballots. McCrory also left open the possibility of asking for a recount.

“The important thing is before you can recount, you have to count,” said Raleigh attorney and former Chapel Hill Town Council member Gerry Cohen. “The count hasn’t finished because absentee ballots that were received [on Election Day] have not been added into the count. And any absentee ballots that were postmarked [Tuesday] or before, can be received through Monday and count.”

The State Board of Elections issued a release on Wednesday detailing the next steps in the process.

Officials say a sample audit will follow the receipt of all mail-in and provisional ballots. That audit will consist of “a sample hand-to-eye count of ballots in randomly selected precincts and one-stop locations to confirm results tabulated by machine.” That hand-to-eye count must me carried out “in public,” according to the state board.

The county boards would then meet to make decisions on provisional applications before being able to certify the election. Counties would then certify results on Friday, November 18.

If Cooper and McCrory – or candidates in any other races in the Council of State – are within 10,000 votes of each other after counting all of the additional ballots, a candidate may ask for a recount before noon on Tuesday, Nov 22.

Cohen said the provisional and mail-in ballots have different demographic trends.

“The late absentee ballots four years ago broke two-to-one for [Mitt] Romney over [President Barack] Obama, but the provisional ballots broke 60/40 for Obama over Romney,” Cohen said. “So it may just be a wash.”

The final certification, which would make the results official, is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 29.

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