The Dare County Board of Elections on Wednesday reviewed six provisional ballots and approved two while disapproving four after staff presented its research and recommendations.

Kelly, elections staff, told the board “So, across the 2, so we've we received 6 provisional ballots,” and distributed provisional envelopes and a numbered memo to guide the board’s review. Staff recommended approval of two ballots and disapproval of four based on the documentation and research.

Why it matters: provisional ballots are reviewed after polls close to determine whether a ballot may be counted. The board’s determinations will be added to the county’s official totals at the statutory post-election Canvas meeting.

Staff process and evidence

Kelly described the research steps staff uses to evaluate provisionals: checking the local voter registration record, searching the statewide voter database to see if a voter is registered in another county, contacting other counties to verify whether the voter cast a ballot there, reviewing DMV attempted-registration records when applicable, and checking pending registration queues and date stamps that may indicate a timely registration. “The board can approve this ballot if we can determine that she has maintained continuous residency,” Kelly said about one case involving a voter removed after two federal general elections.

Specific ballot decisions

The board approved the provisional ballots for Ricky Lee Stewart (provisional due to missing driver’s license information and last four of Social Security number) and Virginia Ellen Gray (no record of registration but staff found continuous residence in Dare County). A board member moved to approve the two ballots; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

The board disapproved provisionals submitted by Annabelle Argueta Benitez, Elizabeth Jankowski and Elijah David Respass (each listed as having no record of registration) and Elizabeth Couch (previously removed and registered in another county). A motion to disapprove those four ballots was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.

Counts, validation and follow up

Staff told the board that the provisional voted because the voter did not provide driver’s license or full Social Security information had its provided numbers validated before the meeting. For at least one voter who appeared active in Wake County, staff verified that the voter had not cast a ballot in Wake County in this election and said Wake County will be notified with a copy of the provisional application so Wake can remove the voter from its rolls and Dare County can register the voter after the election.

Procedural details

Staff said there were no pending ID requests tied to these provisionals (for example, no cases where a voter needed to return with identification to be counted). Kelly stated the registration cutoff for DMV-based registrations was October 10; one DMV registration in the packet was dated the 14th and therefore was not timely for an election-day regular ballot.

What happens next

Staff will add any approved provisional votes into the election reporting ahead of Canvas, the post-election meeting where totals and write-ins are reviewed and the board may certify the election. The board also reviewed the zero-replicate tape from the provisional machine; the results will be added to reporting and made available online.

Source and supporting transcript excerpts

This article is based on the Dare County Board of Elections provisional-ballot review meeting transcript. Key supporting statements include Kelly’s description of staff research and the chair’s calls for motions and voice votes to approve and disapprove identified provisional ballots.