RALEIGH – North Carolina election officials reported 36,339 provisional ballots cast statewide in the Nov. 3 general election, releasing a county-by-county accounting Wednesday as post-election review continues.
The State Board of Elections’ report lists ballots cast provisionally, not a total of ballots already approved for counting. County boards must determine eligibility before adding qualifying votes to the results.
The published table lists 3,338 provisional ballots in Wake County, 3,142 in Mecklenburg, 2,062 in Durham, 1,656 in Forsyth and 1,606 in Guilford. Cumberland reported 1,153, Pitt 1,116, New Hanover 1,036 and Cabarrus 1,020.
Elsewhere, the report lists 722 in Alamance, 608 in Davidson, 533 in Robeson, 471 in Wayne, 256 in Lenoir, 164 in Hoke and 131 in Scotland. The state says the chart will be updated as additional county reports arrive.
A provisional ballot allows someone to vote when registration or eligibility questions need to be resolved. The board says reasons can include a name missing from the rolls for a voting location, questions about the correct ballot or missing acceptable photo identification.
County boards can approve a provisional ballot, approve only eligible contests on it or disapprove it. The number cast therefore cannot be treated as a block of additional votes for any candidate or party, and the county totals do not identify how those voters voted.
For voters who must return with acceptable identification, the board gives a noon Nov. 10 deadline. Voters may instead have completed a Photo ID Exception Form at their voting site, subject to the board’s eligibility-review procedures.
Approved provisional votes will be incorporated during the canvass period. County canvass meetings are scheduled for 11 a.m. Nov. 13, with state canvass at 11 a.m. Nov. 24.
The new report documents the scale of provisional voting across North Carolina. It does not certify election results, announce a recount or establish that all 36,339 ballots will count.
Sources
- NCSBE: Nov. 4 provisional-ballot report announcement
- NCSBE: Provisional ballots cast by county (PDF)
Photo Credit: File photograph of an early-voting line at Plaza-Midwood Public Library in Charlotte, published Oct. 31, 2008, by James Willamor via Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped and resized; photographic adaptation shared under the same license. Historical voting context, not a 2026 provisional-ballot line. NCPN logo is a separate brand mark.
Editor’s Note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.