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The North Carolina State Board of Elections certified most of the state’s races for the 2020 election Tuesday. The Board voted 4-to-1 to certify the results. The only no vote came from a Republican board member who questioned changes the board made to absentee ballot rules before Election Day.
Republican member Tommy Tucker said he accepted the election’s results, but voted not to certify. Tucker said he did not think the board’s recent changes on how absentee ballots were cured, as well as extending the absentee ballot deadline to Nov. 12, were constitutional without a bill passed in the General Assembly. The other Republican member, Stacy Eggers, voted to certify the election. Both Eggers and Tucker were appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper in October after the board's two previous Republican members resigned in protest over the changes to the absentee ballot curing process.
After the vote, chair Damon Circosta said he was disappointed the board did not unanimously certify the election. He said a unanimous vote would help North Carolina voters’ confidence in the election.
"And the work done by the county boards of elections, by the State Board of Elections, by all 500 members, both Republican and Democrat, to ensure the sanctity of the vote, has been done," Circosta said. "And there’s really no other option except to support such a certification."
NCSBE Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell told board members that voter turnout this year was 75.4%, with a record-breaking number of absentee by mail ballots requested (1.4 million), absentee by mail ballots returned (1 million), and total votes cast (5.5 million). Circosta said the state’s election data, including data from its regular auditing process, showed the election had been administered fairly.
Five races in the state still need to be certified but currently have protests filed by candidates. That includes the state Supreme Court Chief Justice race. That race is currently in a recount, which is expected to be completed on Wednesday, Nov. 25.
