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Updated at 9: 45 p.m.
Polls closed for Buncombe County’s Republican Second Primary Election with more than 2,200 people casting votes between Election Day, Early Voting, and absentee by-mail. With all 80 precincts in, unofficial results are posted publicly on the State Board of Elections’ Election Results Dashboard. See Early Voting statistics for Buncombe County here.
Across all 100 North Carolina counties, thousands of people took time to vote today. “I want to give thanks to the many people who came together to make this election run smoothly,” says Elections Director Corinne Duncan. “Every election matters no matter how small. Typical turnout for a second primary is small but we are proud to say things went very smoothly today, in large part to the voters, poll workers, election officials, commissioners, observers, candidates, parties, our board members, and all the county and city departments that work with us to make it all happen.”
What’s next? Canvass.
Tonight marks the beginning of the statutorily required vote-counting and auditing processes after every election called canvass. Canvass is the entire process of ensuring votes have been counted correctly and required audits have been completed, culminating in the certification of results during meetings of every county board of elections. By law, these canvass meetings will be held by each county board of elections at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 24.
Updated at 4:35 p.m.
Republicans and qualified unaffiliated voters have returned to the polls in Buncombe County for a second primary to determine the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor and state auditor. Polls have been open since 6:30 a.m. As of 4 p.m., 1,240 voters have turned out to the County’s 80 polling locations to vote in person. So far, Enka-Candler Library has experienced the highest voter turnout with 67 people, and First Born Baptist Church has now served 50 voters. During early voting, 262 voters participated, and 122 absentee ballots have been received.
You can see a breakdown of how many people voted at each precinct here.
At 7:30 p.m. Election Services will post absentee results, and then shortly after that they will post early voting results to the North Carolina State Board of Elections website and buncombecounty.org/vote.
Polls in Buncombe County are open from 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. As long as you are in line by 7:30 p.m., you will have the chance to vote. You must vote at the polling place in your assigned precinct. If you need help finding your voting location, enter your name at the Voter Search Tool.
Who can Vote?
In Buncombe County for this election eligibility is as follows:
- All registered Republicans
- Unaffiliated voters who voted Republican in the March 5 Primary
- Unaffiliated voters who did not vote in the March 5 Primary
Voter ID requirements
Voters will be asked to present a valid photo identification when voting in person. If you do not have a valid photo ID card on Election Day, you may still vote and have your vote counted by signing an affidavit of reasonable impediment (or "Photo ID Exception Form") as to why you have not presented a valid photo ID. The Exception Form can also be used if you have a religious objection to being photographed or are a victim of a recently declared natural disaster.
As an alternative, if you don’t have your ID when you vote, you can still vote and then bring your valid photo ID to your county board of elections by 5 p.m. on the ninth day after Election Day.
If you vote by mail, then you must include a photocopy of a valid photo ID when returning your ballot. You may also complete the Absentee Photo ID Exception Form that is provided with your absentee ballot materials.
A list of all types of ID that can be used for voting is available on the State Board of Elections?Voter ID?webpage. For information on how to get a free ID, see?Get a Free Voter Photo ID.
Curbside voting
Another feature Buncombe County Election Services offers is curbside voting for those who are unable to go inside the precinct due to age or disability. Just pull up to the curbside voting sign, and an election worker will come out and help you.
Need to turn in an Absentee Ballot?
The deadline to return the completed Absentee Ballot is Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. Absentee ballots cannot be returned at polling precincts. Absentee ballots cannot be emailed or faxed. Request forms that are hand delivered to the office at 59 Woodfin Place must be returned only by the voter or the voter’s near relative. Ballots must be received by May 14, 2024, regardless of when they were mailed.