How To Know Your Vote Counted in North Carolina | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    RALEIGH, N.C.     North Carolina elections officials wish to remind Election Day voters that it may take a few weeks before their "voter history" is updated to reflect their recent vote in their voter record available through the State Board of Elections' Voter Search tool.

    "If you voted in person and inserted your ballot into a tabulator, your selections were immediately recorded on a memory card, and your votes were reported on election night as part of the unofficial results," said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. "We respectfully ask that voters trust their bipartisan boards of elections across North Carolina. We are here to make sure your votes count, and they will."

    The State Board of Elections and county boards of elections are inundated with questions from voters about whether their ballot was counted in the 2020 general election. In almost every single case, the answer will be yes.

    However, if you voted on Election Day, it will take time for your voter history to reflect the fact that you voted, as county boards of elections must first complete post-election processes.

    Voters may confirm the status of their ballot in the following ways through the State Board of Elections' Voter Search tool HERE. Simply enter your first and last names and county (if desired) and follow the instructions below based on your voting method.

    If you voted in person on Election Day...

    When you inserted your ballot into a tabulator, your selections were recorded on a media card in the tabulator. These results were counted and reported publicly on election night.

    For further confirmation that your ballot was counted, use the Voter Search tool.

    Your ballot status will show up in the "Voter History" section (see screenshot below) as soon as your county completes the post-election process of assigning voter history to your record. This may take a couple of weeks or longer after the election.

    Please be assured that your county board of elections will complete this process as promptly as possible amid the other post-election tasks that must be completed, including post-election audits and certification of the results.

• Contact: Patrick Gannon
•     patrick.gannon@ncsbe.gov