Author: Karen Brinson Bell, Executive Director
This numbered memo provides guidance related to municipal elections in 2023.
Please review the following existing numbered memos:
- Minimum Number of Ballots for Municipal Elections: Numbered Memo 2019-06, which provides for the minimum number of ballots for municipal elections; and
- Municipal Elections: Numbered Memo 2019-03, which provides information about the temporary transfer of voters to an adjacent precinct and the conduct of cross-county municipal elections for another county.
Dates for Submission of One-Stop Plans to State Board
One-stop implementation plans requiring review and approval by the State Board1 must be submitted to the State Board no later than the following dates. This ensures the State Board has adequate time to review the plans and any alternatives:
- Sept. 12 election: July 31, 2023
- Oct. 10 and Nov. 7 elections: Aug. 4, 2023
1 See N.C.G.S. § 163-227.6.
Civilian Absentee-By-Mail Deadline
Please review Absentee Ballot Return Deadline: Numbered Memo 2022-09, which provides guidance for when the civilian absentee-by-mail ballot receipt deadline falls on a holiday. The statutory deadline for receipt of postmarked absentee ballots for the Nov. 7, 2023, election falls on Friday, Nov. 10. This is Veterans Day, a state and federal holiday. Accordingly, pursuant to Acts to be done on Sunday or holidays (N.C.G.S. § 103-5), the deadline for a ballot that is postmarked on or before Election Day to be received in the mail by the county board and counted in the November municipal elections is Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, at 5 p.m.
Canvass Dates for 2023 Elections
County canvass for elections in 2023 will take place after each election as follows:2
- Sept. 12 election: Canvass Sept. 19 at 11 a.m.
- Oct. 10 election: Canvass Oct. 17 at 11 a.m.
- Nov. 7 election: Canvass Nov. 17 at 11 a.m.
Deadlines that are tied to the date of the county canvass for the September and October elections — such as deadlines for filing election protests, sample audit counts, and recount requests — shall be calculated based on the seven-day canvass period. Deadlines tied to the date of the county canvass for the November election shall be calculated based on the ten-day canvass period.
The deadline for provisional voters to submit HAVA documents to the county board of elections is Sept. 18 at 5 p.m. for the September election, Oct. 16 at 5 p.m. for the October election, and Nov. 16 at 5 p.m. for the November election. Please review Canvass Procedures and Provisional Ballots: Numbered Memo 2018-05, which explains canvass procedures and the review of provisional ballots.
2 N.C.G.S. § 163-182.5(b) provides that canvass shall be held on the tenth day after every election. However, N.C.G.S. §§ 163-291(5), -293(c), and -294(b) provide that canvass shall be held on the seventh day following, respectively, a partisan municipal primary or second primary, a nonpartisan municipal election when using the election and runoff method, and a nonpartisan municipal primary. Therefore, these statutes authorize a seven-day canvass period for the municipal primaries and elections in September and October.