About 5,500 Mecklenburg County ballots still need to be counted. Here’s why
It’s been several days since races around Charlotte were held on Election Day, with winners announced late Tuesday into early Wednesday.
But Mecklenburg County Board of Elections officials indicates the counting of all the ballots isn’t done just yet.
Kristin Mavromatis, a public information manager with the county Board of Elections, said that as of Thursday, there were more than 1,550 provisional ballots that still require processing and more than 4,000 mail-in ballots which still need to be counted.
How mail-in and provisional ballots affect Mecklenburg County turnout
A total of 2,193,647 absentee ballots were cast in North Carolina, according to data from the North Carolina State Board of Elections. More than 211,000 of those ballots were cast by Mecklenburg County voters.
However, despite efforts to engage voters, including through mail-in, absentee and early voting ballots, less than half of eligible Mecklenburg voters participated, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Data from the State Board of Elections shows that only about 44% of registered voters in Mecklenburg County participated in the general election. That includes voters who cast ballots through absentee and approved provisional voting.
More specific data related to provisional ballots by city or district, and voter demographic information, will not be released until after election results are made official, Mavromatis said.
What are provisional and mail-in ballots?
A provisional ballot is a ballot provided to individuals who are registered and eligible to vote but whose eligibility or registration status cannot be confirmed. These ballots are not included in tabulation until after voting status is determined, according to the United States Election Assistance Commission.
A mail-in ballot, or “absentee ballot,” is a ballot cast by a voter other than in-person on Election Day, typically through the mail.
Will the ballots need to be counted affect election results?
Mavromatis told the Observer that even more mail-in ballots will arrive in the post on Monday, but only those postmarked before or on Election Day will be counted.
Although final tallies are still compiled, the county says no recounts have been called or requested. As a result, election results are unlikely to change, she said.
This story was originally published November 12, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
