Primary election results in Buncombe County are now official; certified by board

Mitchell Black, Asheville Citizen Times
·2 min read
The results from the primary election held March 5 in North Carolina have been certified March 15, canvass day.
The results from the primary election held March 5 in North Carolina have been certified March 15, canvass day.

ASHEVILLE – The Buncombe County Board of Elections certified results from the 2024 primary elections in a March 15 public meeting. Results from the March 5 primary are now official.

The vote to certify the election occurred after canvass, the official process for determining votes have been counted and tabulated correctly, according to the state elections board. During this period, elections officials count absentee ballots and research questionable ballots to determine whether they should count, which Buncombe completed March 14. Results are officially certified at a canvass meeting, which occurs 10 days after election day.

County officials also audited an election day and early voting location, as required by state law. No discrepancies were found between machine and human counts, according to a March 15 news release.

The finalized results did alter any of the preliminary local winners identified on election night. All the leaders on March 5 for Congress, Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, District Court Judge and Buncombe County Superior Clerk of Court will move on to the general election. The top six Asheville City Council vote-getters will also move forward.

Voters fill in their ballots at the West Asheville Library, March 5, 2024.
Voters fill in their ballots at the West Asheville Library, March 5, 2024.

A second primary will be held May 14 for the Republican nominations for lieutenant governor and state auditor. No candidates received the 30% of votes necessary to avoid a runoff. Jim O’Neill will face Hal Weatherman in the GOP-Lieutenant Governor race. Dave Boliek will battle Jack Clark in the Republican State Auditor race.

Registered Republicans, unaffiliated voters who did not vote in the first primary, or voted for a Republican ballot will be eligible to vote. Residents who became eligible to vote between both primaries will be allowed to cast a ballot as well.

Results in all primary races are available on the state elections board website (er.ncsbe.gov).

Deadlines for the second primary election

  • April 25, 2024: In-person early voting begins

  • May 7, 2024: Absentee ballot request deadline (5 p.m.)

  • May 11, 2024: In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.)

  • May 14, 2024: Election Day

  • May 14, 2024: Absentee ballot return deadline (7:30 p.m.)

More: Chuck Edwards wins WNC House GOP primary on Super Tuesday; Asheville area in district

More: Asheville council primary: Incumbents Roney and Turner win night, Frazier close behind

More: Jennifer Horton, Paul Benjamin win Buncombe County Commission 1st district primaries

More: Pressley, Merrell win Buncombe district court seats. Christy remains Superior Court Clerk

Mitchell Black covers Buncombe County and health care for the Citizen Times. Email him at mblack@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @MitchABlack. Please help support local journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Buncombe County elections board certifies primary results