Buncombe County board approves 302 absentee ballots as staff reports record early-voting turnout

The Buncombe County Board of Elections voted to approve 274 civilian absentee ballots, 26 overseas ballots and two military ballots — 302 in all — at an absentee meeting held the day before the March 3 primary. Jake moved to approve the set as presented; a board member seconded and the motion passed by voice vote.

The decision followed staff reports about absentee processing and a wider operations update. Director Duncan told the board the county had a record turnout for a midterm primary, saying, “we actually for a midterm primary had record turnout. We even exceeded the presidential primary for 2024 by more than 4,600 votes.” She thanked staff for lengthy schedules during early voting and said the office saw no major issues during the period.

Staff also provided the board with meeting-specific totals and processing notes. Aaron reported that, as of 11:30 a.m., staff had recorded 275 civilian absentee ballots, 26 overseas and two military ballots (303 total) for review; by the time the board moved to approve the submitted packets, staff presented 274 civilian ballots (one discrepancy tied to an empty envelope or a duplicate-handling issue noted during review), producing the 302 figure certified by the board.

Board members reviewed special-case ballots — for example, ballots with unsealed inner envelopes, inner envelopes with identification inside, and ballots that required duplication — and asked staff about the cure process for unsigned outer oaths. Staff explained that some ballots were curable if a signature or witness cure was later provided and that duplication panels had replicated damaged ballots for scanner processing.

Director Duncan also reviewed election-day logistics: polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.; about 80 polling locations will be in use across the county; and roughly 450 poll workers were scheduled. She reminded voters that those in line by 7:30 may cast a ballot, that acceptable photo ID is required, and that curbside voting and accessible voting machines and language assistance are available at sites.

The board noted it would reconvene at 5:30 p.m. to generate the certified absentee list for polling locations and to handle any additional pallets or ballots received before the 5:00 p.m. cutoff.