The Guilford County Board of Elections has called an “emergency meeting” for Wednesday, Nov. 20, to conduct a second recount for the High Point City Council Ward 6 race. The current results stand at a six-vote difference – 838 to 832 – with candidate Michael Holmes in the lead over current Ward 6 Councilmember Jason Ewing.
That’s where the Guilford County Board of Elections’ count is after the first recount in that race. However, in this situation, Ewing is entitled to request – and he did request – a second recount at which elections board members examine a sample of the paper rolls recorded by voting machines to make sure those match the electronic vote totals.
On Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 19, the Board of Elections announced the emergency meeting that will be held Wednesday at 2 p.m. in the Blue Room of the Old Guilford County Court House in downtown Greensboro. County Elections Director Charlie Collicutt referred to it as a “special” meeting and said that the “emergency” designation was so that the elections board could announce the meeting on Tuesday and hold it the following day. Otherwise, a Board of Elections meeting would require more public notice.
Collicutt said that at the meeting the board will examine a sample of the paper records to make sure there are no irregularities in the count.
“The law requires a 3 percent sample size,” Collicutt said.
It’s very unusual for a race to be so close that it requires two recounts.
Many voters in Guilford County have noticed the paper record being printed by the voting machine when they cast their ballots and some mistakenly think at first that it’s a “receipt” they may take with them. However, that paper slip is behind a transparent shield and is secured and kept by the elections office for review in this type of situation.
