LUMBERTON – Republican Sen. Danny Britt remained 228 votes ahead of Democrat Catina Hamm after election boards in all three counties of Senate District 24 completed their provisional-ballot reviews Tuesday, leaving control of the North Carolina Senate unresolved.
The State Board of Elections’ updated precinct-results file lists Britt with 28,047 votes and Hamm with 27,819. The totals remain unofficial. The 24th District includes Hoke, Robeson and Scotland counties.
WRAL reported that the three bipartisan county boards reviewed more than 800 provisional ballots. The boards accepted 59 in Hoke County, 55 in Scotland County and 311 in Robeson County. Britt’s margin had been 268 votes on Election Day and narrowed to 245 after Hoke County’s review Friday before settling at 228 after the remaining county reviews.
The result could determine control of the incoming 50-member Senate. If Britt’s lead holds, Republicans would retain a 26-24 majority. If Hamm overtakes him while other results remain unchanged, the chamber would be divided 25-25, with Democratic Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt able to cast tie-breaking votes.
Completing the provisional-ballot reviews does not make the result final. Eligible military and overseas ballots mailed by Election Day can still arrive through 5 p.m. Thursday, according to the State Board. County boards are scheduled to canvass results Friday.
A recount is possible but not automatic. State law allows the trailing candidate in a nonstatewide contest to request one when the final margin is 1% or less of the total vote. Britt’s current margin is below that threshold.
Because District 24 spans multiple counties, any recount request must be submitted to the State Board by noon Nov. 17. The State Board is scheduled to certify the contest during its Nov. 24 canvass.
The latest count narrows the race but does not declare a winner, certify the result or resolve whether a recount or election protest will follow.
Sources
- NCSBE: Nov. 3 precinct-results ZIP, updated Nov. 10
- WRAL: Britt holds 228-vote lead after provisional-ballot reviews
- NCSBE: Post-election counting, canvass and recount procedures
Photo Credit: File photograph of the North Carolina State Legislative Building in Raleigh, March 21, 2008, by Jmturner via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Cropped and resized; not a ballot-review scene. 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.