Elections in 3 Charlotte-area counties ended with thin margins. Are recounts possible?
Another Election Day in North Carolina is in the books, but some races in the Charlotte area are still close enough for recounts or runoffs.
Making the results official could take several more days and lag into next week. Each county board must have canvass meetings, when the results are made official, by March 15. The primary election results will then be finalized by the State Board of Elections when it meets on March 26.
Charlotte-area elections that finished with thin margins include county-level races in Cabarrus, Gaston and Iredell counties as well as a state legislature seat.
As it stands, Laura Blackwell Lindsey got the most votes in the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners Republican primary, followed by former North Carolina House Rep. Larry Pittman.
Lindsey, a school board member, received 24% of the vote. Pittman, a controversial political figure who’s compared Abraham Lincoln to Hitler, referred to Black Lives Matter protesters as “domestic terrorists” and advocated for the General Assembly to consider public hangings, had 20% of the vote.
If the unofficial results from election night stand, Lindsey and Pittman will face Democrats Ingrid Nurse and Eulonda Rushing in the November general election for the two available seats on the board.
Incumbent Steve Morris, the current county chairman who finished third in the race, could also call for a recount as long as the distance between himself and Pittman is not more than 1% of the total votes cast, according to Cabarrus County Board of Elections director Carol Soles. As of Thursday, Morris received 8,027 votes to the 8,193 votes Pittman tallied, which would be in the range of a recall.
In a surprising outcome, Brian Echevarria defeated incumbent Rep. Kevin Crutchfield in the Republican primary for House District 82 by 171 votes. Echevarria, who in a 2022 election acknowledged he created a business and Facebook page called Spank That Tail, which displayed memes about spanking children, got 50.94% of the votes. Crutchfield, a first-term representative, got 49.06%. Concord Democrat Sabrina Berry awaits in the general election.
There are 350 provisional ballots and 78 absentee ballots to be examined and possibly counted in Cabarrus County, Soles said. It is not anticipated that the yet-to-be counted ballots will impact the outcome of races, she said.
Provisional ballots, the State Board of Elections says, are ballots election officials set “aside as they conduct research about the voter’s eligibility.” Voters may be asked to fill out a provisional ballot for reasons such as questions about their address or voter registration or if they can’t provide a photo ID.
All mail-in ballots had to be submitted, Soles said, by 7:30 p.m. the day of the election to be counted.
Gaston and Iredell County results
The Gaston County Board of Commissioners South Point Township GOP primary was similarly close. Jim Bailey was on top Tuesday night by three votes ahead of incumbent Commissioner Ronnie Worley, according to unofficial results. Todd Kinlaw was third, with 25% of the vote, and Marc Seelinger was fourth, with 19.8%
Gaston County Board of Elections director Adam Ragan said a runoff election is possible because the race is so close. But the second primary would hinge on whether Worley requests one.
All Election Day and absentee ballots in Gaston County have been counted, though 130 provisional ballots cast during the early voting period and on Tuesday still need to be checked. That process will not be completed until March 13, he said.
In Iredell County, incumbents Gene Houpe, Melissa Neader, and Scottie Brown prevailed in the GOP Board of Commissioners primary. Houpe led the way with 12,113 votes, Neader was second at 10,643, and Brown received 10,111. Richard Coleman, who finished fourth, narrowly missed advancing by 336 votes.
A runoff could be triggered by Coleman, but there are not enough votes to actually change third and fourth place, said Susie Jordan, the Iredell County Election Board director. “But there could be a margin that might make it closer.”
The county still has 98 provisional and 45 absentee ballots to count, Jordan said.
While there aren’t any races in runoff or recount territory in Mecklenburg County, it’s not done with election work yet. The county still has 527 provisional ballots to count, a process expected to be completed by March 14, Dickerson said. About 530 absentee ballots submitted will be counted by Friday, he said.
Statewide races
A few statewide or congressional elections in the Charlotte area could end up on a recount ballot.
In the 6th Congressional District Republican primary, Addison McDowell received more votes than former Rep. Mark Walker but is likely headed to a runoff. McDowell received 26% of the votes to Walker’s 24%, according to unofficial results. Walker told McClatchy he would ask for a runoff, which would occur on May 14, in addition to state auditor, lieutenant governor, North Carolina’s 6th and 13th Congressional districts
And in North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District, Mark Harris took the Republican nomination, though he only received 30.4% of the vote. Allan Baucom got 27.01%, and John took Bradford 17.78%. If Harris falls below the 30% threshold, Baucom could request a runoff.
The lieutenant governor’s race did not feature a true front-runner, and may not be finished yet. Republican Hal Weatherman received about 20% of the vote, leading the race for the GOP nomination. His closest opponent, Jim O’Neill, had about 16% of the vote. As for other races, the 30% vote requirement applies to avoid a second primary.
The Republican race for state auditor was also close, with none of the six candidates reaching the 30% threshold. Jack Clark received 23% of the vote, while Dave Boliek finished in second with 22%. Clark said he would seek a runoff, The News & Observer reported.
