NC Board Refuses Berger's Recount Request

0:00This is Durham News Today, powered by AI and presented by the Daily News Now. The North Carolina State Board of Elections decided not to act on a request from Senate President Phil Berger's campaign during their Wednesday meeting. This involves the Republican primary for Senate District 26, where Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page currently leads Berger by 23. Officials want the standard recount process to play out first before considering changes to undervotes or overvotes. Undervotes happen when a voter skips a race or marks it unclearly, like with an X instead of a full bubble. Overvotes occur when someone selects too many candidates. Berger's team argues these 220 ballots were never counted and deserve a look for voter intent to avoid disenfranchising people. Berger's campaign spokesman called the boards move a setback, pushing instead for a hand recount to check every legal vote. On the other side, Page's election supervisor accused Berger of trying to ignore state law after losing two weeks ago, urging him to concede so.

1:04Republicans can unite for the general election. Machine recounts are underway in Guilford County and set to start Thursday in Rockingham County. After that, the trailing candidate has 24 hours to request a sample hand recount of 3% of precincts. If that sample suggests a flipped outcome when scaled up, a full hand recount follows. Berger's campaign has filed four protests over voter issues, like wrong ballots or registration glitches. Experts note these close races can drag on with lawsuits, though we counts rarely change results. Still, history shows it can happen, as in Minnesota's 2008 Senate race. Thanks to our sponsor for supporting today's coverage. No earbuds, no headbands, no awkward sleeping positions, just a pillow that plays your sound. S-O-L-I, solely pillow.com. Made in AI.