Close races in Wake County could hinge on absentee, provisional ballots
Several races in Wake County were unofficially decided Tuesday night by very thin margins. There are still enough outstanding absentee and provisional ballots that haven't been counted yet to change the outcomes of those races.
It's very rare for provisional or late absentee ballots to change the winner of an election. Those votes usually break down along the same lines as the larger voting population, so in a close race, the candidates usually split the provisional and absentee ballots as well. But it isn't unheard of for a few votes to turn an election in very close races.
Four races to watch
The highest-profile close race was the Cary Council District D runoff between Sarika Bansal and Rachel Jordan. Out of 5,425 votes counted by Tuesday night, Bansal led Jordan by just 67 votes.
The closest Wake County race was a contest for the remainder of an unexpired term on the Fuquay-Varina Board of Commissioners. Jason Wunsch appears to have edged Elizabeth Parent by only 28 votes out of 5,744.
Two other town commissioner races were also very close. In Rolesville, Lenwood Long unseated incumbent Michelle Medley by only 49 votes. And in Zebulon, Amber Davis beat Michael Germano by just 55 votes.
Absentee-by-mail deadline
A new state law passed this year changes the deadline for acceptance of absentee mail-in ballots to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. But that change doesn't take effect until Jan. 1, 2024.
These municipal elections are still being conducted under the old law, which says that as long as a mail-in ballot is postmarked by Election Day, it will be counted if it arrives up to three business days after the election. Because Friday is the observed date of Veteran's Day this year, the deadline for mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day will be Monday, Nov. 13.
Wake County spokeswoman Stacy Beard said as of Wednesday, there are still 753 outstanding absentee-by-mail ballots that have not yet been returned. And 118 of those outstanding absentee ballots were in Cary Council District D.
That doesn't mean they will show up. In many cases, outstanding absentee ballots are never returned. Sometimes the voters who request them change their mind and vote in person instead. Others may simply forget to mail the ballot at all. In addition, only voters who live in the districts where the close races are happening are eligible to vote in them.
Beard said there were also 188 provisional ballots cast countywide. The Wake County Board of Elections will review those next week.
