The State Board of Elections announced on Mar. 22 that it will conduct a random drawing to select precincts for a partial hand recount in the Republican primary election for North Carolina Senate District 26, which covers all of Rockingham County and part of Guilford County.
This action follows a request from candidate Phil Berger after an initial machine recount showed Sam Page leading by 23 votes, with totals of 13,135 to 13,112. Under state law, candidates may request a sample hand-to-eye recount within 24 hours after the initial recount. Berger submitted his request on Friday.
According to North Carolina General Statute §163-182.7A(a), the sample must include all ballots in at least three percent of precincts in each county within the district, rounded up to the next whole number. Early voting sites are also included in this calculation. In this case, Guilford County had 34 Election Day precincts and ten early voting sites; Rockingham had fourteen precincts and four early voting sites. As a result, two ballot groupings from Guilford County and one from Rockingham County will be selected for the hand count.
If the results from these sampled locations differ significantly from those produced by machines—enough that such a change applied across all ballots could alter the outcome—a full hand-to-eye recount would be required by law.
The random drawing is scheduled for Monday, March 23 at 10 a.m., taking place at the State Board of Elections Office in Raleigh. The public can observe either in person or remotely via Webex or phone. Partial hand recounts are expected to begin Tuesday morning: Guilford County’s meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. at its courthouse in Greensboro, while Rockingham County’s begins at 8:30 a.m. at its elections office in Reidsville.
This process ensures transparency and accuracy as required by state law when election margins are narrow.
