North Carolina Recount Clocks: State Board Sets Deadlines for Nine Tight Races
County boards must count provisional ballots by November 13, while candidates in nine close races have until November 17 to request manual recounts.
By Zoe Harrison ·
North Carolina election officials face a compressed schedule to finalize results in nine legislative and congressional races that remain within one percentage point.
As of Thursday, five state House seats, three U.S. House districts, and one state Senate race had top candidates separated by a narrow margin. The State Board of Elections requires these contests to fall within a one-point gap for a trailing candidate to request a recount. The process now hinges on the counting of provisional ballots and mail-in votes.
The tightest margin in the state involves Republican U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx in the 5th District. She trails Democratic challenger Chuck Hubbard by 99 votes, a difference of 0.04 percentage points. Foxx defeated Hubbard by 19 points in 2024. She noted in a Facebook post that she received 230 provisional votes in that previous election, suggesting those ballots could determine the current outcome.
In the 2nd District, Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy leads Democrat Raymond Smith by 233 votes, or 0.09 points. Murphy declared victory on social media, but the State Board of Elections reported 2,996 provisional ballots remain uncounted in his district. Of those, 2,542 were cast on Election Day and 454 during early voting. A majority of these outstanding ballots are in Pitt County, where Murphy received the lowest vote share in the district.
Republican U.S. Rep. David Rouzer leads Democratic challenger Kimberly Hardy by 0.76 points in another close congressional race. Rouzer also claimed victory despite the narrow margin.
In the state Senate, Republican Sen. Danny Britt of Robeson County holds a 268-vote lead. This seat is critical because a hold by Britt would allow Republicans to retain control of the chamber. There are 828 provisional ballots outstanding in that district.
Democrats currently lead in all five state House races that are within the recount threshold. All five seats are currently held by Republicans. The closest state legislative race is in New Hanover County, where Democrat Tim Merrick leads Republican Dane Scalise by 101 votes, or 0.3 percentage points. The district is held by retiring Representative Ted Davis.
Other close state House contests include Guilford County, where Democrat Shelly Headen leads Republican John Blust. Headen faced internal party criticism after posting calls for violence against Republicans on social media. In Alamance County, former Burlington Mayor Ian Baltutis leads Republican Ryan Moffitt in an open seat. Democrat Charlie Wallin leads Republican Ray Pickett in the west, and Democrat Claire Kempner leads House Deputy Majority Whip Tim Reeder in the east.
County boards of election will meet on Tuesday to review provisional ballots. These ballots are often cast by voters who lack identification or arrive at the wrong polling place. The State Board of Elections stated that more than one in eight provisional ballots through Thursday came from voters in the Registration Repair Project. These voters lacked a driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number on their registration records, but their votes count if they presented photo ID.
Counties must finalize totals at 11 a.m. on Friday, November 13. Candidates in single-county districts have until 5 p.m. on Monday, November 16, to request a recount. Those in multi-county districts have until noon on Tuesday, November 17. A machine recount is the first step. If the trailing candidate requests a second recount, it will be done manually at random sites. A third, full manual recount is triggered if the second recount shows a difference large enough to change the outcome when extrapolated. The State Board of Elections is scheduled to certify results at 11 a.m. on November 24.
