The State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement has received reports that ballots in some precincts in Wake County and other areas cannot be fed through tabulators.
Initial reports from county elections offices indicate this issue is caused by high humidity levels. When ballots cannot be read by tabulators, they are stored securely in “emergency bins” and will be tabulated as soon as possible.
The State Board wants to ensure voters that procedures are in place for these types of events.
All ballots will be counted.
The State Board office has advised county elections officials to work with their precinct officials to ensure voting areas are kept as cool and dry as possible by using air conditioning and keeping doors closed when possible.
After the election, the State Board conducts a series of post-election audits. One audit compares the number of authorization-to-vote (ATV) forms signed by voters with the number of ballots tabulated at each location. This audit ensures that the number of voters who present to vote matches the number of ballots counted.