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Buncombe County Board of Elections certifies 789 absentee ballots, outlines election-day procedures
Summary
At a March 2 meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Elections approved absentee batches and certified a final absentee list of 789 (714 civilian, 68 overseas, 7 military), reviewed procedures for election day and provisional processing, and scheduled a sample audit Monday.
Dr. Glenda Winer, chair of the Buncombe County Board of Elections, certified the county's final absentee list and briefed members on election-day procedures at a meeting on March 2, 2026.
The meeting approved staff-recommended absentee ballots and finalized an absentee list totaling 789 ballots'714 civilian, 68 overseas and 7 military'that the board signed and prepared for submission to the state board. Chair Dr. Glenda Winer read the certificate of executed absentee ballots aloud and said the lists will be uploaded to the state board as required. "I, Dr. Glenda Winer, chair of the Buncombe County Board of Elections, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a list of all executed absentee ballots to be voted in the election to be conducted on the 3rd day of March, 2026," she read.
Why this matters: The certification formalizes the set of absentee ballots that will be counted in the March 3 election and documents compliance with deadlines and chain-of-custody procedures. The board also reviewed timing and staffing plans intended to avoid confusing early-voting and election-day reporting.
What the board approved and why: Staff presented an initial small batch of absentee ballots for the meeting (staff reported one pending cure had been resolved) and the board approved those ballots by voice vote. Later the board approved the final absentee list of 789 ballots after staff printed and circulated the final list for members to sign. Sally Stein moved to approve the final list; another member seconded and the board approved the motion by voice vote.
Operational guidance and schedule: Chair Winer told members to be available by phone beginning at 6:00 a.m. on election day and described a schedule of meetings: an absentee processing meeting at 2:00 p.m., concurrent early-voting closure and tape-signing for DS200 machines, and the busy election-night processing starting when polls close at 7:30 p.m. Winer recommended holding election-day precinct postings until early-voting totals are posted to avoid misleading 100% precinct reporting as early ballots are added. She also noted a public sample audit is set for Monday at 10:00 a.m. at the county warehouse.
Provisional and post-election steps: The board will meet midweek to consider photo-ID exception forms from provisional ballots so affected voters can be contacted promptly; staff said provisional processing timelines have shortened and they will work to meet a quicker deadline. The chair and staff said they will prepare an impact analysis and postmortem after the election and share it with the state auditor, who will visit in the coming weeks.
Procedural and legal notes: During the certificate reading, the chair recited that absentee ballots must have been returned no later than 5:00 p.m. on election day and that staff have not delivered ballots to anyone other than listed voters, as required by law. The board signed three copies of the certificate: one to remain with the county, one for the state board and a third for other recordkeeping.
Next steps: The absentee lists will be uploaded to the state board; the board will reconvene for scheduled meetings to handle provisional ballots and to support staff during election-night processing. The board adjourned following certification of the absentee lists.
