Last Updated on November 13, 2026 6:11 pm
RALEIGH, N.C. (Friday, Nov. 13, 2026) — With county canvasses taking place today, the N.C. State Board of Elections has released a guide to how recounts work after the 2026 midterm general election, including who can ask for one, the deadlines to do so, and the steps that follow.
Who can request a recount
Only a candidate who is trailing in the official results, as determined after the county canvass, can request a recount. The margin must be close enough to qualify:
- Statewide contests: a margin of one-half of 1 percent of the votes cast, or 10,000 votes, whichever is less. The State Board said no statewide contests are close enough for a recount this year.
- All other contests: a margin of 1 percent or less of the total votes cast in the contest.
Deadlines to request a recount
- Contests overseen by county boards: a written request must reach the county board by 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16.
- Contests overseen by the State Board: the request must be received by the State Board by noon Tuesday, Nov. 17. These include U.S. House contests, state legislative districts that cover more than one county, and judicial contests.
State Board staff will post recount requests in the recount requests folder on the agency’s file site, dl.ncsbe.gov.
Recount timeline
Recounts are expected to begin the week of Nov. 16, and the full machine recount is expected to be completed by Nov. 23. The State Board is scheduled to meet Nov. 24 to consider statewide certification of the results.
How a recount works
Step 1: Machine recount. County boards run every ballot cast in the contest back through a tabulator, using two-person bipartisan teams. Any ballot the machines reject is counted by hand by a four-person bipartisan team. At least three county board members, including at least one Republican and one Democrat, must be present to decide voter intent when questions come up.
Step 2: Hand-to-eye sample recount. The trailing candidate has 24 hours after the machine recount to request a hand recount of a sample covering 3 percent of precincts and early voting sites, or a combination of both. For State Board contests, State Board staff draw the sample at random. If it is requested, the hand count must begin within two business days. The sample is used to determine whether the machine and hand counts differ enough to justify a full hand recount.
Step 3: Full hand recount. If the differences found in the sample, extrapolated across the whole jurisdiction, would reverse the result, the State Board orders a full hand recount of all ballots in that contest.
Public access
Recounts are open to the public, and county boards must give public notice at least 48 hours before one begins. Observers may not take photographs or video that would capture a voted ballot, because state law prohibits it. County boards pay for the recounts.
Election protests
Voters and candidates can also file a formal protest alleging violations of election law, irregularities or misconduct. A successful protest can lead to corrected results, a recount or a new election. Details are in the State Board’s Election Protest Procedures Guide, and protests filed in 2026 are posted in the Protests folder on dl.ncsbe.gov.
What it means for the 5th District
The 5th Congressional District race is a U.S. House contest, so any recount request there would go to the State Board by noon Tuesday, Nov. 17. As of Friday afternoon, Democrat Chuck Hubbard led Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx by 339 votes, 139,781 to 139,442, in the unofficial count with all 230 precincts reporting. Read our full coverage of the race. WataugaOnline has not seen a recount request in that race.
“We look forward to bringing this midterm election to a successful conclusion,” State Board Executive Director Sam Hayes said in the release.
