Jade Wilson
Two protesters hold signs in Raleigh, NC after Joe Biden is announced the winner of the presidential election.
Three weeks after the last North Carolinians bubbled in their votes, the State Board of Elections certified nearly every race in every precinct and every county with a 4-1 vote on Tuesday morning. Over 5.5 million folks—just over 75 percent of registered voters—cast their ballots in the 2020 general election.
“From the Grape Creek precinct in Cherokee County to the Stumpy Point precinct in Dare County, election officials worked countless hours in 2020 so voters could cast their ballot without fear of disease,” Karen Brinson Bell, the board's executive director, said in a press release. She reported in the meeting that no COVID-19 cases were tied to any of the state's 2,660 precincts or 471 early voting sites.
Only five races were not certified in the results, including the statewide race for Supreme Court chief justice. The race is currently separated by 421 votes in favor of Republican Party candidate Paul Newby. The final county-wide recounts for the seat will take place Wednesday.
Aside from record-breaking turnout and early votes, Brinson Bell also says this was the earliest all precincts reported on election night. The last precinct reported around 12:30 a.m. on November 4—although this may be because only 900,000 North Carolinians voted in-person.
The only 'no' vote on the election results came from Tommy Tucker, a former state senator from Union County. Tucker, who joined the board in October as a replacement to one of two Republican members that quit, told other members he was worried about the "constitutionality" of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to allow absentee ballots that were postmarked on or before Election Day to be accepted until November 12. Other members made comments afterward in response to Tucker's remarks.
"I find it dishonorable to hear that, and I would like to again thank Executive Bell, Counsel Love, and the rest of staff that work tirelessly deep into the night to make these elections fair and safe," Democratic board member Jeff Carmon said in response.
The board also voted 4-1 to adjourn the meeting, with Tucker once again the lone dissenter. He asked to speak after other board members responded to his comments but had already used up his time.
You can view election results at each level of government statewide and within North Carolina's 100 counties on the State Board of Elections database.
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