By By JONATHAN CLAYBORNE
jonathan@wdnweb.com
Staff Writer
Beaufort County elections officials certified the results of the Nov. 2 general election Friday afternoon.
Though a smattering of ballots were tossed out due to technicalities, none of the final vote totals changed enough to sway the outcome of any county races.
Some tallies were incorrectly called out or written down by volunteers during a public airing at the elections offices on election night, but numbers uploaded to the State Board of Elections’ website were correct, it was reported.
A couple of candidates did pick up some votes Friday as election returns were “canvassed,” including Republican Commissioner Al Klemm and GOP state Rep.-elect Bill Cook, both of whom won seats.
Kellie Harris Hopkins, elections director, said the board reviewed 61 provisional ballots. Of those ballots, the board opted to approve 34.
Provisionals are ballots marked on Election Day by voters whose registration status can’t be verified on the spot. On or before canvassing day, the ballots are checked against elections records to clear up any registration discrepancies.
Among the provisionals rejected were those cast by voters who were not registered, had registered to vote in other counties or had been convicted of felonies but had failed to update their registrations after having their full rights of citizenship restored.
Some provisional voters marked ballots outside of the precincts in which they were registered. In these cases, the voters in question might have voted in the wrong congressional or Beaufort County Board of Education contest. As such, only part of these voters’ ballots were counted.
The board also reviewed 14 mailed-in absentee ballots received at the elections offices after Nov. 2.
Of those ballots, the board chose to count 13, with one being rejected because its signer didn’t have anyone on hand to witness his or her signature.
Asked to assess the performances of elections staff and poll workers this year, Hopkins summed things up in one word: “Wonderful.”
“I think as bad as we hate to have second primaries, they’ve had a lot of practice this year,” she added.
A second primary, or “runoff,” pitting Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Elaine Marshall and Cal Cunningham against one another was held in June, Hopkins pointed out. Marshall prevailed in the second primary, but lost the main event to incumbent U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C.
“With a lot of these precincts, they won’t be used again until 2012,” when the next presidential election rolls around, Hopkins related.
Precincts in the county’s unincorporated areas won’t participate in next year’s town or city council elections.
Also during Friday’s board meeting, elections staff and board members agreed, as individuals, to purchase flowers in honor of the late G.D. Elliott Jr.
Elliott, a former, longtime Beaufort County elections board chairman, died Thursday.
Chairman Tom Payne and Secretary Archie Harding attended Friday’s session.
Board member Jim Vosburgh had another appointment and was unable to attend.