Under state law, election officials must release the number of provisional ballots cast in each county in North Carolina by the day after the election. [N.C.G.S. § 163-232.2]
The PDF at the following link shows the number of provisional ballots cast in each county during the March 5 primary election.
Read: Number of Provisional Ballots Cast by County for the March 5, 2024 Primary Election. (This chart will be updated as additional counties report their provisional ballot numbers to the State Board.)
A voter may cast a provisional ballot when their name does not appear on the voter registration rolls for the voting location or other questions arise about their eligibility to vote or to vote a particular ballot. The provisional voter fills out a form called a provisional application, which includes information that the county board of elections can use to research the voter’s eligibility.
An in-person voter will also cast a provisional ballot if they are unable to show an acceptable form of photo identification when voting. The voter will cast a provisional ballot and do one of the following:
- complete a Photo ID Exception Form, or
- return to their county board of elections office with their photo ID by 5 p.m. the day before county canvass. (For the March 5 election, this date is Thursday, March 14.)
For eligible voters who complete a Photo ID Exception Form, the provisional ballot will be counted unless the county board of elections unanimously determines that information on the Photo ID Exception Form was false.
After Election Day, each county board of elections meets before certifying the results to make decisions on the approval of provisional ballots. If the board determines that the voter is eligible, the provisional ballot is counted. If the voter is eligible for some contests on the ballot but not others, only the eligible contests will be counted for that voter. These ballots will be added to the results during the canvass process.
Unofficial results for the 2024 primary are available on the Election Results Dashboard.
County canvass is scheduled for Friday, March 15. State canvass will be held on Tuesday, March 26.