Overview

The County Boards of Elections handle election administration on a local level in North Carolina’s 100 counties. “County Boards of Elections.”

Election-Related Duties

The key duties of the County Boards of Elections are:

Administrative

  1. Issuing regulations, rules, and guidance consistent with those of the State Board of Elections and law, as necessary. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-33(1). [1]
  2. Appointing and removing Chief Judges, Judges, and other Precinct Officials. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-33(2).
  3. Investigating and reporting election law violations. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-33(3).
  4. Having the power to cause the arrest of individuals interfering with its sessions. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-34.
  5. Testing voting machines prior to an election. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-33(2).
  6. Recommending to the Board of County Commissioners the adoption of voting machines. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-165.9.
  7. Hearing challenges to voter registration prior to an election. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-85.

Canvassing and Certification

  1. Canvassing elections and certifying countywide races. N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 163-33(9); 163-182.5(b); 163-182.15(a).
  2. Verifying provisional ballots. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-166.11(5).
  3. Preparing abstracts of election returns for the State Board of Elections. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-182.6(a).
  4. Hearing election protests. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-182.10.
  5. Counting absentee ballots. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-234.