Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Absentee Ballots topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Buncombe County board approves bulk of absentee ballots, disapproves a handful ahead of Election Day
Summary
The Buncombe County Board of Elections on Nov. 4 approved large batches of absentee, military and overseas ballots while disapproving a small number of ballots for missing witnesses or noncompliant photo‑ID exception forms; staff will contact affected voters before canvass.
The Buncombe County Board of Elections on Monday night approved the vast majority of absentee ballots presented for review and cleared several large batches of military and overseas ballots while disapproving a small number of deficient ballots.
Director Duncan opened the meeting with logistical reminders for voters ahead of Election Day, saying "polls will open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m." She urged voters to bring photo ID, to go to their assigned polling location and noted sample ballots are available on the county website. Duncan also told the board staff will station volunteers at one site after an address error was discovered on a mailed card for precinct 66.1.
The board considered routine board‑pending absentee ballots and several exception cases brought by staff. At the meeting the panel disapproved an absentee ballot that lacked two witness signatures and separately moved to disapprove a ballot that did not include photo identification, directing staff to contact the voter and explain how to cure the defect before the county canvass. Both motions carried unanimously.
The board approved 81 board‑pending ballots during the session, and later approved smaller reviewed batches of special ballots: five military ballots and 36 overseas civilian ballots after review. In a separate vote the board approved 543 absentee ballots that had photo‑ID exception forms after staff review and cure‑attempts; those motions also passed unanimously.
As the night progressed the board addressed several technical issues staff had flagged, including envelopes containing reissued ballots where the CIV (civilian ballot identifier) on the envelope came from a previously spoiled ballot. Staff described the review process for spoiled/reissued and mismatched CIV cases and held any ballots requiring further verification until the team could confirm the correct pairing.
By the end of the meeting the board approved a large batch of 2,063 civilian absentee ballots that staff presented for processing. Chair Jake Quinn read the evening totals and certified the lists, noting the board had reviewed 2,737 S&T (absentee/by‑mail) ballots and approved 2,728 of them. "That list constitutes the ballots approved by the county board of elections," Quinn said as he completed the certification oath for the military and absentee lists.
Board members emphasized that most disapprovals resulted from procedural defects such as missing witness signatures, mismatched CIV numbers, or photo‑ID exception forms that did not meet statutory requirements. For items the board deemed curable, staff will contact voters and allow them to provide missing ID or signatures before the formal canvass deadlines.
The board also discussed operational readiness for Election Day: staff will begin processing early‑voting and absentee materials in the warehouse early on Election Day morning, maintain scheduled briefings during the day and post precinct tapes as machines are closed. Director Duncan said observers from other congressional districts who were appointed under a recently passed state law would be on site and had been briefed on observing procedures.
The Buncombe County Board of Elections will reconvene on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 (Election Day) to continue processing and to oversee tabulation and canvass preparations.
