Three Mecklenburg County races tight after Election Day. Are recounts next?

Of all the primary races on Mecklenburg County ballots Tuesday night, three are in or near recount territory.

To be able to request a recount, candidates need to be within 1% of their competitor. In Mecklenburg, one race is within that threshold and two are close with some absentee and provisional ballots still to count.

District Court judge candidate Cecilia Oseguera is ahead of her Democratic competitor Keith Smith by just 59 votes, or .08% of ballots cast in the race. In the Republican primary for Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners District 6, Jeremy Brasch leads Desiree Zapata Miller by 125 votes, or 1.2%. And in the Republican primary for N.C. Senate District 42, Cheryl Russo leads Scott Stone by 159 votes, or 1.18%.

ELECTION RESULTS: Who won and lost in the Charlotte, Mecklenburg primaries

Mecklenburg County Elections Director Michael Dickerson said there were 360 provisional ballots still left to be accepted or denied. The county also expects to receive more than 500 mail-in absentee ballots by the cut-off on Friday.

Of the provisional ballots, he said between 30% and 40% are likely to be accepted.

Across the county, about 14% of registered voters cast a ballot in the primary.

Should we expect recounts?

In an interview Wednesday, Stone said he assumes there won’t be a recount in his race.

If the additional ballots put him close, within a few dozen, Stone said he might consider asking for a recount. Beyond that, he said the new ballots are unlikely to close the gap.

“I’m living my life today and this week assuming I won’t be the Republican nominee,” he said.

He added that, if Russo wins, he’d offer his support in the November general election against current Democratic state Rep. Rachel Hunt.

“It’s one of the districts throughout the state that we have a great chance of flipping,” Stone said. “We need to make sure she has every opportunity to win that for the Republican Party.”

Neither Miller nor Smith could be reached for comment Wednesday.

Miller received 93 absentee mail-in votes to Brasch’s 72, according to election night returns. Oseguera received 766 to Smith’s 448.

Dickerson said the Mecklenburg Board of Elections is meeting Friday evening to cut off absentee ballots and certify them. He also hoped to count provisional ballots at the same time.

When are next elections?

The next Election Day for Charlotte voters is July 26 — the general election for City Council and mayor. Early voting for the July Election starts July 7 and ends July 23.

On October 20, early voting for the 2022 general election begins. The early voting period will last until Nov. 5. It will feature races from U.S. Senate to Mecklenburg County commissioners.

Election Day for the 2022 general election is November 8. Polls will open at 6:30 a.m. and will remain open until 7:30 p.m.