Candidates in close North Carolina election contests face a Monday, November 16, deadline to request recounts in races handled by county boards of elections, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Written requests for county-level recounts must reach the appropriate county board by 5 p.m. Monday. A separate deadline applies to contests under the jurisdiction of the State Board of Elections: those requests must be received by noon Tuesday, November 17.
The deadlines follow the county canvass held November 13, when county election boards reviewed election records and certified contests within their jurisdictions.
Which races may qualify for a recount?
Under North Carolina law, a candidate trailing in the official vote tally may request a recount if the margin falls within the applicable legal threshold.
For non-statewide contests, the difference between the leading candidate and the candidate requesting the recount must be 1% or less of the total votes cast in the contest.
For statewide ballot items, the margin must be no more than 0.5% of votes cast or 10,000 votes, whichever is less. The State Board said no statewide contests appeared close enough to qualify for recounts in 2026.
County-level requests must be submitted in writing to the relevant county board. State-level contests include U.S. House races, multi-county state legislative districts and judicial contests.
How will recounts work?
The initial recount process involves running all ballots cast in the relevant contest through a tabulator.
County boards use bipartisan teams during the process. If a machine rejects ballots, those ballots must be reviewed by a four-person bipartisan team for a hand count.
Recounts are open to the public. Election officials must provide at least 48 hours' public notice before a recount begins.
After a machine recount, a trailing candidate has 24 hours to request a hand-to-eye recount involving a random sample of 3% of precincts and early voting sites. A full hand recount may be ordered if the sample results indicate that discrepancies could change the outcome.
What happens next?
The State Board of Elections said machine recounts, if required, should be completed by November 23.
The board is scheduled to meet November 24 to consider statewide certification of the 2026 election.
The recount process does not automatically change an election result. Any changes would depend on the official recount findings and the applicable election procedures.
Candidates and voters can follow official recount updates through the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Official source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, “North Carolina's Recount Process, Explained,” November 13, 2026.
