Hardy County Last To Complete Canvass

Every county has now completed what’s known as “canvass,” a process of determining final election results with county commissions ruling on and counting all ballots cast. Hardy County was the last of the state’s fifty-five counties to finish its canvass Thursday at 2:10 p.m.

Hardy County commissioner and president of the board of canvassers Dave Workman says  the delay came after scheduling conflicts among commissioners and high voter turnout in Hardy County this year — over 68 percent, according to unofficial results.

“That’s very unusual for Hardy County, and that was something that was noted on Tuesday, well on election night, was that our voter turnout had been heavy,” Workman said.

Voter turnout statewide was 63.39%, according to unofficial results published by the Secretary of State.

The Secretary of State’s office said Hardy County’s timeline is “not uncommon.”

Workman says Hardy County also had an “exceptionally large number” of provisional ballots, which are cast when there is an unresolved challenge to voter eligibility. County commissioners judge which provisional ballots are counted at canvass.

Provisional ballot data, which shows which ballots were counted, can be requested starting 80 days after election day. If voters cast a provisional ballot, they can check the status of their individual ballot now on the Secretary of State’s website.