There are as many as 189 votes that could still be counted in the razor-thin state Senate race between Senate Leader Phil Berger and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page.
Details released by the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) on Wednesday indicate there are 137 provisional ballots in Rockingham County and 52 provisional ballots in the portion of Guilford County that includes Senate District 26. Unofficial election night results show Page leading Berger by just two votes.
Andy Jackson, director of the John Locke Foundation’s Civitas Center for Public Integrity, told Carolina Journal this is likely good news for Page.
“Nobody knows how people with provisional ballots voted, but it is reasonable to assume that provisional ballots will break down similarly to the other ballots. If so, that is good news for Sam Page,” said Jackson. “Page won in Rockingham County by about two-to-one, and Berger won in Guilford County by about two-to-one. In the unlikely event that all provisional ballots are accepted, that would probably mean a net gain of about 25 votes for Page.”
Berger received 4,500 votes in Rockingham County on election night, compared to 9,009 for Page. In Guilford County, Berger led with 8,575 votes to Page’s 4,068.
Of the 189 provisional ballots, both Republican and Democratic ballots are included. While the exact breakdown is unknown, 4,584 ballots were cast in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary in Rockingham compared to 12,051 in the Republican primary.
A provisional ballot is used when there is a question about a voter’s eligibility when they vote. This can happen for several reasons, such as if a voter’s name does not appear on the rolls, if they are voting at the wrong precinct, or if there are questions about their voter registration. Many times, election officials allow the voter to cast a provisional ballot, which is not counted on Election Day and reviewed after the fact.
The Guilford County Board of Elections will meet Friday at 2 PM to review provisional ballots, followed by the Rockingham County Board of Elections at 3 PM.