Election officials in Guilford and Rockingham counties say they have not received any military or overseas ballots that still need to be counted.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — With the deadline approaching for military and overseas ballots to arrive, election officials in Guilford and Rockingham counties say they have not received any ballots that still need to be counted in the tight Republican primary race between longtime state Sen. Phil Berger and challenger Sam Page.
County officials told WFMY News 2 that as of Wednesday morning, no additional military or overseas ballots have come in that would affect the results.
That means the race, which currently has Page ahead by just 23 votes, may not change before county boards certify the results later this week.
The contest for North Carolina Senate District 26 has been one of the closest races in the state this election cycle.
Page, the longtime sheriff of Rockingham County, moved into the lead Friday after election officials counted provisional ballots in both counties.
In Rockingham County, officials approved 95 of 137 provisional ballots. Page received 56 of those votes, while Berger received 26.
In Guilford County, Berger held a 10-3 advantage in provisional ballots.
After those ballots were counted, Page took a narrow lead of about two dozen votes.
Military and overseas ballots had been one remaining factor that could potentially change the outcome. Those ballots must be received by county election offices by Thursday at 5 pm.
But with election officials reporting none outstanding so far, the margin between the two candidates appears unlikely to shift before certification.
Still, the race may not be finished.
North Carolina law allows the trailing candidate to request a recount when the margin between candidates is less than 1% of the total votes cast.
Berger acknowledged that possibility after the provisional ballots were counted.
“While today’s results were not what we had hoped, the vote difference continues to be less than 1%, the threshold for requesting a recount,” Berger said in a statement Friday. “As we wait for the election results to be reviewed one week from today, our legal team will continue to evaluate the situation. If we believe a recount is merited, I will pursue that avenue as allowed by law.”
Page expressed confidence after the provisional ballot count Friday.
“Today, voters have spoken, and we move forward to November, and I’m very excited,” he said.
The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Steve Luking in the November general election.
Here are the key dates remaining in the race:
• Thursday, March 12 — Deadline for military and overseas ballots to be received by county boards of elections
• Friday, March 13 — Counties certify election results
• Tuesday, March 17 — Deadline for the trailing candidate to request a recount
• Wednesday, March 25 — State Board of Elections meets to certify final results after any recount
WFMY News 2 will continue monitoring the race and any potential recount request.
