About 900 incomplete absentee ballots mailed to Buncombe County voters

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — About 900 absentee ballots with missing information about municipalities were mailed to Buncombe County voters.

Buncombe County election officials said they discovered the mistake late last week. The ballots affect some voters in the city of Asheville, the town of Black Mountain and the town of Montreat. Election officials said about 900 absentee ballots that were mailed out listed the candidates for Asheville mayor and council, Black Mountain mayor and council and Montreat commissioners -- but did not include a header indicating the municipality in which they were running for office.

Buncombe County Election Services Director Corinne Duncan, said the error was small and the impacted voters likely understood which municipality the candidates were running in, given that they, too, live in that municipality.

Officials said the absence of a heading on a ballot in no way affects the tabulation of the ballot, as headings are only for contest identification. The issue occurred as a result of human error by Printelect, the North Carolina ballot printer for Election Systems & Software (ES&S), Buncombe County’s voting equipment vendor.

"The vendor is working to add new processes to make sure this doesn't happen again," Duncan said.

SOME ABSENTEE BALLOTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN RETURNED TO WNC ELECTION OFFICES

Election officials are in the process of resending complete ballots to affected voters, along with a letter explaining the error.

Below is a copy of the text in that letter:

Recently, you requested an absentee ballot for the November 8, 2022 general election. After mailing your ballot to you, the Buncombe County Board of Elections discovered a vendor’s error on a portion of ballots a heading for the municipality of either Montreat, Black Mountain, or the City of Asheville was inadvertently omitted. Enclosed you will find an updated replacement for you to vote and return. The original ballots have been canceled. Please vote and return this replacement ballot even if you have already returned the original. Return postage is included.

We know this is an inconvenience for you, and we are sorry that this occurred. The absence of a heading on a ballot does not affect the tabulation of the ballot, as headings are only for contest identification. This issue occurred as a result of human error by Printelect, the North Carolina ballot printer for Election Systems & Software (ES&S), Buncombe County’s voting equipment vendor. ES&S has committed to putting additional procedures in place to ensure this does not happen again. We are committed to our promise that Buncombe County voters have the quality experience you expect and deserve. If you have any questions about your ballot, please don’t hesitate to call our office at 828-250-4200.

Remember, absentee by mail ballots must have two witness signatures and addresses or the signature of a notary public. Absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked on or before Nov. 8, 2022 and received by Nov. 14, 2022. Absentee ballots may also be returned to any early voting site or the Buncombe County Election Services office by 5 p.m. on Nov. 8, 2022. Absentee ballots cannot be returned to polling locations on Election Day. You may also decide that instead of voting by mail, you’d prefer to vote in person – that’s no problem, and you can do that at any of our early voting locations or at your polling location on Election Day." - Buncombe County Election Services Director Corinne Duncan

Buncombe County Election Services is asking impacted voters to submit the replacement ballot, even if they already returned the first ballot. The first ballot has been canceled, and upon receipt of the corrected ballot, the voter’s record will be updated, ensuring that only one ballot is counted per voter.

However, if a voter submitted a ballot with the missing header information and doesn't submit a replacement ballot, election officials said the vote will still count. While they prefer voters submit new ballots, the original ballot will be counted alongside provisional ballots, if no replacement ballot is submitted.

As of Tuesday, Duncan said the office has received about 30 of the initial incomplete ballots and expects more.

The error comes at a time when many voters are doubting the integrity of elections.

"That is why we're getting the information out now. It's a very small issue, but we are concerned. We really want people to feel confidence in the process. So, we're making sure that we do go the extra mile," Duncan said.

NC FIRST STATE TO VOTE IN MIDTERM ELECTIONS, BALLOTS ALREADY CAST

Duncan said she thinks her office has done a good job of being transparent about the election process amid an era of voter uncertainty.

"I think that we've built a lot of that capital, which is fantastic, and I'm proud of that in Buncombe. But people are worried, and so we'll just continue to keep providing that reassurance because it is absolutely true that the voting process works and people should be confident in that," Duncan said.

While the election process has received increased attention in recent years, Duncan said she welcomes the heightened awareness and interest.

"Since 2020, we had COVID, and there was social unrest, and people have a lot more attention on elections, which is a good thing. It does add pressure, absolutely, but it means that more people are engaged, we have more voters, more customers. It's really a good thing," Duncan said.

Duncan said this error demonstrates why her office's role is important.

"This is an example that we have processes for everything that happens. So, there are checks and balances throughout the system that help us ensure that every single time that the election results are what the people voted for. So, you can trust in the election process," Duncan said.

The announcement of the mistake also came on the same day that Buncombe County Election Services was co-hosting an NC Trusted Elections town hall, aimed at reassuring voters about the process.

It's unfortunate timing, but a political science expert said it's important to note how local election officials addressed the issue head on and rushed to remedy the error and reassure voters.

"This was not a whistleblower story. This was the board of elections saying, 'Hey, it was a goof, and it affected some people and we're telling you about it.' The initial push may hit people as, 'I shouldn't trust elections,' but I would push back on that a hair and say, 'Maybe this is exactly why you should trust elections,'" said Dr. Chris Cooper, Madison Distinguished Professor of Political Science & Public Affairs and director of the Public Policy Institute at Western Carolina University.

VOTERS WITH DISABILITIES CAN CHOOSE WHO HELPS THEM WITH ABSENTEE BALLOTS, NC JUDGE RULES

Cooper said errors are inevitable, and, when they happen, election officials need to catch them early and communicate them to voters. He said he believes local election officials have accomplished that in this case.

"We need to keep faith in the system and to keep our systems running well," Cooper said.

As far as the issue of election confidence in general, Cooper said, unfortunately, he doesn't see the situation improving right now.

"It's a huge issue for a lot of voters. Poll results from Western North Carolina, the state of North Carolina, the country as a whole, show that there's still a sizable proportion of people who don't believe the outcome of elections. We also, of course, have losing candidates from the federal level all the way down to the local who challenge elections where they lose. This is not a problem that is getting better. If anything, it's a problem that's getting worse over time, and it does concern me," Cooper said.

Cooper said it's also important to note that this particular ballot error was minute, regarding a header on a ballot -- not regarding a candidate's name.

Any ballot postmarked after Sept. 15, 2022, has correct headers and is not impacted by this.

Absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked on or before Nov. 8, 2022, and received by Nov. 14, 2022. Absentee ballots may also be returned to any early voting site or the Buncombe County Election Services office by 5 p.m. Nov. 8, 2022. Absentee ballots cannot be returned to polling locations on Election Day. For more information, click here.