GREENSBORO, N.C. — Many people are wondering what's taking so long to make election results official. There are several steps to making sure all eligible votes are counted.
DEADLINE FOR MAIL-IN BALLOTS
In North Carolina, as long as an absentee ballot was postmarked by 5 p.m. on Nov. 3 and reaches the county board of elections office by 5 p.m. on Nov. 12, will be counted.
WHAT IS THE CURING PROCESS?
Some ballots are going through the curing process. It gives people a chance to correct certain errors on absentee ballots. If a persons' ballot was signed in the wrong place or is missing witness information, the county board of elections will send them a cure certification letter. They have until 5 p.m. on Nov. 12 to get the certification letter back to the board of elections office.
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WHAT BALLOTS ARE REJECTED?
If there are other deficiencies, like no signature or an unsealed envelope, the ballot will not be reissued and it will be rejected. You would be notified of that rejection by mail.
CANVASS PROCESS
Then there's the canvass process. That's when county boards confirm all eligible ballots have been counted -- including all absentee and verified provisional ballots. The canvassing process ends 10 days after the election on Friday, Nov. 13.
With a lot of close races, many people will ask: what about runoffs? Here's the thing: in North Carolina, there are no runoffs in the general election. So what about those close races? A second-place candidate can request a recount if the difference isn't more than 1% of total votes cast on that item. So, if a candidate is in that range, they have until 5 p.m. the first business day after the canvass to request the recount. This year, that's Monday, Nov.16.