Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mandated audits of last month’s North Carolina statewide primary and municipal elections showed machine counts were extremely accurate, state elections officials said.

The State Board of Elections certified the May 17 results on Thursday after tabulations of all eligible ballots through the canvass. The certification followed audits by county boards and the state board.

State law requires bipartisan teams in all 100 counties conduct hand counts among two ballot groups, selected randomly. Of these 200 sample audits, hand and machine counts were identical in 179 of them. In the remaining 21, covering 17 counties, the average count difference was 2.3 within the counties, the state board said in a news release. Most discrepancies were attributed to human error or ballots with marks that couldn’t be read by machines, the board said.

Audits for this election and previous elections “show that our certified voting machines count ballots accurately and can be trusted,” board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell said.

A state board audit verified the number of voters who check in to vote at polling places or cast mail-in ballots matched the number of ballots tabulated by county boards.

Nearly 20% of the state’s 7.2 million registered voters participated in last month’s elections.

 

Photo via AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File

 

Related Stories
‹
North Carolina Elections Head: Delay '21 City Races, '22 Primary
North Carolina’s top elections administrator on Tuesday urged state lawmakers to move all of this year’s municipal elections to 2022 and bump back next year’s primaries from March to May due to delayed Census data. Census numbers play a crucial role in how legislative districts are redrawn every decade. But even though the data was […]
UNC System Names Director of Presidential Search Committee
As the UNC system begins its search for a new president after Margaret Spellings’ departure halfway through the last academic year, the committee in charge of finding her permanent replacement has named a new leader. UNC Presidential Search Committee co-chairs Wendy Murphy and Randy Ramsey announced Friday that Kimberly W. Strach has been appointed director […]
Two Nominated To Fill Last Spot On New NC Elections Board
Gov. Cooper must select one of the two - neither of whom is a registered Democrat or Republican - to fill the ninth spot on the newly reconstituted board.
Top Stories of 2022: New Faces, New Districts and Busted Trends in Midterm Elections
The 2022 midterm election was good for Democrats nationally, good for Republicans statewide - and defined locally by several key retirements.
Early Voting Turnout High in Orange County, But Slightly Lower Than 2018
Early voting turnout was high this year, both statewide and locally in Orange County - but what that means for the outcome is anyone's guess.
Yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger Actually Crashed a North Carolina Election Workers Call
The North Carolina State Board of Elections welcomed the former California governor on a call with elections staff on Monday.
'We Have Never Been In A Time That Was This Partisan': UNC Scholar on Polarization
UNC political scientist Marc Hetherington discusses polarization: its causes, its effects, and what we might do about it.
Misinformation, Disinformation, Social Media, and You
UNC scholar Shannon McGregor discusses misinformation and disinformation in politics - and what we can do about it.
In North Carolina's U.S. Senate Race, Turnout Will Likely Decide
In North Carolina's Senate race, polls show Cheri Beasley and Ted Budd virtually tied - which means it'll likely come down to turnout.
Appeals Panel Blocks Law’s Use in NC Campaign Ad Prosecution
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON A federal appeals court on Tuesday blocked a local North Carolina district attorney from prosecuting state Attorney General Josh Stein or anyone else for his 2020 campaign ad through a criminal libel law. The majority of a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, […]
›