North Carolina counties fail to complete election canvass, leaving judicial race undecided

A 5 p.m. Friday deadline passed and the North Carolina State Board of Elections, led by a Democratic majority and Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell, indicated counties that did not meet it are at no penalty.

Closely watched across the state is a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court, where Republican Jefferson Griffin is trying to unseat incumbent Democrat Allison Riggs. Early Friday evening, with 13 counties still unofficial, Griffin led by 2,753 votes.

Wake County is the largest voting bloc still unofficial. Counties definitive to reconvene in meetings to finish on Monday are Chatham, Craven, Cumberland, Forsyth, Randolph and Yancey. Others at time of publication yet to finish are Brunswick, Durham, Halifax, Pasquotank, Sampson and Watauga.

Nineteen of 100 counties were unofficial at the bewitching hour of 5, according to the website of the State Board of Elections.

Riggs, a 14-year veteran of arguing cases and serving as an executive director for voting rights at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, was appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper first to the state Court of Appeals and nine months later to the state Supreme Court. She's trying to win her first judicial election.

Two pivotal races for the House of Representatives do have official decisions, pending if there are options exercised for recounts. Republicans have a 71-49 majority, same as Election Night, after official results showed incumbent Rep. Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg, winning by 216 votes and Democratic challenger Bryan Cohn winning by 233 votes.

The magic number of 72 from the 120-member chamber is significant because it is the minimum votes necessary to successfully override a veto from the governor.

Cotham retained her seat in the District 105 race in Mecklenburg County over Democrat Nicole Sidman in a race with more than 54,000 votes cast. Cotham as a Democrat won election two years ago, then in the following April switched to the Republican Party.

Cohn unseated Republican Rep. Rev. Frank Sossamon in District 32, which includes Granville and Vance counties along the Virginia border. More than 43,000 votes were tabulated, and the difference was 233, up from 182 on Election Night.

Recounts for statewide races are allowed if the difference between the candidates is either less than 10,000 votes or 0.5% of votes cast, whichever is less. In non-statewide contests, such as the Senate and House races, the threshold is 1% or less of total votes cast after county canvass.

Candidates eligible and wishing to request a recount have until noon Tuesday.

Indications are that if Riggs and Sidman finish runner-up and are eligible, each would request a recount.