ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Nearly 55,000 voters cast ballots in Buncombe County’s 2026 primary election, according to unofficial results released Tuesday night by county officials.
The Buncombe County Board of Elections reported that 54,875 ballots were cast across 80 polling places. Of those, 23,267 were cast in person on Election Day, 30,777 during the early voting period and 831 by absentee mail.
The totals are unofficial until the county completes its canvass on March 13.
For comparison, about 59,000 voters participated in the 2024 primary, while roughly 54,000 voted in the 2022 primary, according to county data.
Elections Director Corinne Duncan said the day proceeded smoothly and credited the work of poll workers and staff.
“It’s incredible and so rewarding to see this strong voter turnout,” Duncan said. “Every election, our dedicated poll workers, election officials, observers, candidates, Board of Elections members, staff, public safety professionals and numerous county and city departmental staff take great pride in making sure voters have seamless experiences at our polls, and this year was no different.”
Election night results are considered preliminary under North Carolina law. The canvass period, a post-election process required by statute, includes reviewing provisional ballots, completing audits and certifying results.
Provisional ballots are issued when questions arise about a voter’s eligibility, such as lack of photo identification, registration issues or voting at the wrong precinct. During canvass, elections officials research those ballots, and any deemed valid will be added to the final totals.
County boards of elections across the state will hold canvass meetings at noon Friday, March 13, as required by law.
North Carolina law also mandates a sample audit to verify the accuracy of machine-tabulated results. Bipartisan teams will conduct hand counts of ballots in randomly selected precincts and compare those totals to the machine counts. In Buncombe County, the audit is scheduled for March 9 at the Board of Elections office in Asheville and is open to the public.
Unofficial results for statewide and individual races are available through the state elections board’s online dashboard.
