North Carolina election officials are still trying to resolve questions about votes cast in Durham County in this month's election. And, Gov. Pat McCrory's campaign this weekend gave the first hint that an end to its protest of election results could be in sight.
Republicans continue to push for a full recount of ballots cast before election day in Durham County. McCrory's campaign and state GOP attorney Thomas Stark have protested the tabulation of more than 90,000 votes cast prior to election day that weren't reported until late on election night. On Saturday, Stark filed a new appeal with the state Board of Elections, calling on the Board to take control of all pending protests in Durham stemming from the recent election.
During a specially-called meeting Sunday, the state board declined to take action on Stark's request. Board members said they need more information from the Durham elections board about its November 18 decision not to order a recount of early-voting ballots.
McCrory currently trails Democrat Roy Cooper by about 7,700 votes. McCrory's campaign and Republican supporters have protested portions of the vote counts in more than half of the state's 100 counties. But over the weekend, the McCrory campaign issued a statement saying that if a recount of Durham County's early voting shows the "same results as earlier posted," the campaign "will be prepared to withdraw" its call for a statewide recount in the governor's race.
