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Update as of 10: 15 p.m. on Nov. 5
Voting has concluded for the 2024 Presidential Election. Buncombe County precincts saw high voter turnout for the 2024 General Election. Final unofficial results show more than159,778 people voted, with 32,338 of those in-person on Election Day. So far 11,250 absentee ballots have been processed, with more expected from Election Day. For comparison, 162,137 people voted in the 2020 General Election. Download results at buncombecounty.org.
“We will never be able to find the right words to thank our election staff for pulling this off in the midst of the greatest natural disaster of our lifetimes,” said Election Services Director Corinne Duncan. “You had to make hard decisions – you didn’t evacuate with your families. Some of you lost homes and cars. Some of you lost your loved ones. But if there’s one thing we know in Buncombe County, it’s that elections matter. And thanks to you, our voters, who also experienced the same things, were able to turn out in great numbers. Despite all odds, we did this together in Buncombe County.”
Election night results are unofficial. For results about individual races, visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) Results Dashboard. Election night 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, Nov. 15,2024.
All eligible ballots will be counted. County boards of elections must count absentee-by-mail ballots on Election Day along with any provisional ballots.
Provisional ballots cast during the election must be researched to determine voter eligibility. Ballots determined to be cast by eligible voters will be added to the results during the canvass period. N.C.G.S. § 163-182.2.
Under North Carolina law, all ballots are counted by certified and tested machines. The sample audit count, also required by state law, helps ensure the reliability of the machine-tabulated results. Bipartisan teams in each county conduct hand-to-eye counts of all ballots in the randomly selected precincts and compare the results with the results of the machine counts. The sample audit will be open to the public and takes place Monday, Nov. 11 at 9 a.m.
The State Board staff will randomly select two precincts in every county to be audited. For the purpose of this random selection, early voting locations and the entire collection of absentee-by-mail ballots received by a county are considered “precincts.”
The State Board of Elections and the County Board of Elections conduct additional audits to verify the accuracy of the count. The results of all audits will be submitted to the State Board as part of the final certification of the election. For more information, see the NCSBE Post-Election Procedures and Audits webpage.
Update as of 8 p.m. on Nov. 5
Polls have closed, and unofficial election night preliminary results are starting to arrive. “At our last update we had more than 25,000 voters for today, and now we are tallying all of today's votes along with early votes and absentee by mail votes,” said Election Services Director Corinne Duncan. “I look forward to seeing what total turnout we end up with tonight. As we have been commenting throughout the election, it’s a point of pride to see to so many people prioritize voting despite the challenges that Hurricane Helene confronted us with.”
The Buncombe County Board of Elections has approved and uploaded results of absentee-by-mail votes that have been processed as of Nov. 4, 2024. The deadline to return an absentee ballot was 7:30 p.m. today. Absentee ballots from today will continue to be uploaded through Nov. 15 during the period known as canvass. Find Buncombe County results throughout the night at buncombecounty.org/vote.
What is next?
The Buncombe County Board of Elections is in the process of closing the polls on early voting machines, and this will add more than116,000 votes to the count, which is over half the total possible votes.
This is taking place in a public board meeting streamed live at https://engage.buncombecounty.org/boardofelections
Update as of 4 p.m. on Nov. 5
The latest 4 p.m. numbers show that 25,412 people have voted in Buncombe County on Election Day. This 4 p.m. voter count exceeds 2020 numbers when the voter count was 19,600, but is lower than the 2018 numbers when 38,500 voters cast their ballots on Election Day.
A breakdown of how many people voted today at each precinct can be found here.
Two locations with the highest turnout include Pisgah Elementary School with 888 voters and Liberty Baptist Church with 829 voters. Those who haven’t voted yet can check the wait counts here.
“We’re thrilled to see so many voters turning out today,” said Buncombe County Elections Director Corinne Duncan. “Our community has been through so much in recent weeks, but we are resilient and committed to the elections process, and there has been much to celebrate already today.”
Polls close at 7:30, and anyone in line at that time will be able to vote.
Preliminary results will be released on buncombecounty.org/vote starting at 7:30 p.m. This will begin with absentee by mail results, then early voting numbers, and then the results from each of the election day voting locations will appear in batches as they come in from the precincts. It is estimated that all three of these categories, which is the vast majority of votes, will be in between 10 and 11 p.m.
Starting tomorrow, political signs can be dropped off at Curbside Management, 116 N. Woodfin Ave., Asheville, for proper disposal and recycling. To make the process as easy as possible, Curbside Management will have two separate carts available - drop off the signs and stakes in their designated carts.
Election Day in Buncombe County
When: Polls in Buncombe County are open until 7:30 p.m. If you are in line by 7:30 p.m., you will have the chance to vote. Absentee ballots must be returned to 59 Woodfin Place by 7:30 p.m. by the voter or the voter’s near relative. If you are in a different county, you may return your absentee ballot to that county’s Board of Elections office.
What to bring: Registered voters must bring their photo ID and go to their assigned voting location. If residents don’t have a photo ID, they can vote provisionally.??
Where: 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.
Curbside voting: Those unable to go inside the precinct due to age or disability, can vote curbside. Just pull up to the curbside voting sign, and an election worker will come out and help you.?
Language access: Poll workers have access to language assistance if that is needed.
For more information, go to?www.buncombecounty.org/vote.
Update as of 2 p.m. on Nov. 5
It’s Election Day, and the polls have been open since 6:30 a.m. As of 2 p.m., 21,154 voters have turned out across Buncombe County. This year saw a record turnout for Early Voting with more than 116,000 voters, outpacing 2020’s Early Voting total by 10,000 people. You can see a breakdown of how many people voted today at each precinct here. At 2 p.m. in 2020, our voter count was 12,498.
So far, Pisgah Elementary School has experienced the highest voter turnout with 720 voters followed by Liberty Baptist Church with 701 voters. Those who haven’t voted yet can check the wait counts here.
“We are thrilled to see so many people turning out, and we’ve heard from our poll workers that lines are moving smoothly,” said Elections Services Director Corinne Duncan.
Buncombe County will also release a voter count at 4:30 p.m.
What to know
Polls in Buncombe County are open from 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. If 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. Don’t forget, registered voters must bring their photo ID and go to their assigned voting location. If residents don’t have a photo ID, they can vote provisionally.
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 today at 7:30 p.m. Absentee ballots should be returned to 59 Woodfin Place and must be returned only by the voter or the voter’s near relative.?If you are in a different county, you may return your absentee ballot to that county’s Board of Elections office.
For more information, go to www.buncombecounty.org/vote.
Update as of 10 a.m. on Nov. 5
The General Election is today, and the polls have been open since 6:30 a.m. As of 10 a.m., 11,157 voters have turned out. This year saw a record turnout for Early Voting with more than 116,000 voters, outpacing 2020’s Early Voting total by 10,000 people. You can see a breakdown of how many people voted today at each precinct here.
So far, Liberty Baptist Church has experienced the highest voter turnout with 383 people followed by Pisgah Elementary with 328 voters. Those who haven’t voted yet can check the wait counts here.
“Polls opened promptly at 6:30 a.m., with more than 500 workers arriving at 5:30 this morning to greet voters. Elections don’t happen without the help of people dedicating their day to be poll workers,” said Elections Services Director Corinne Duncan.
Buncombe County will also release voter count numbers at 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
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. Don’t forget, registered voters must bring their photo ID and go to their assigned voting location. If residents don’t have a photo ID, they can vote provisionally.
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 today at 7:30 p.m. Absentee ballots should be returned to 59 Woodfin Place and must be returned only by the voter or the voter’s near relative. If you are in a different county, you may return your absentee ballot to that county’s Board of Elections office.