Elections office readies early voting; staff reissues 19 absentee ballots to VA after mail failure, board completes ballot review

Elections staff told the Buncombe County Board of Elections on Feb. 3 that early voting will begin Thursday, that polling sites and trained poll workers are prepared, and that the office will hold a Facebook Live and media availability on the first morning of early voting.

Staff reported an incident involving absentee ballots: 19 ballots mailed to a veterans facility on Jan. 13 did not arrive. After checking chain of custody with the facility, the post office and associated vendors, staff reissued those 19 ballots on Jan. 6 (the reissued ballots arrived at the facility), and the state board was notified. Staff said they had no other missing‑mail reports.

The board then conducted a ballot review of 89 returned ballots flagged for review: 81 civilian, seven overseas and one military. Staff reported that, to date, the office had sent 1,072 civilian ballots, 80 overseas and 4 military ballots (1,156 total). Board members examined duplication results, administered an oath to the duplication team and voted to approve at least one voter‑intent determination after staff presentation.

During the review staff described procedural safeguards: original absentee ballots in a red bag, scan‑balance material in a blue poly bag, a zero report showing starting and ending counters with USB storage, and a duplication panel to validate voter intent on duplicated ballots. The board voted to approve the duplication and balance reports and completed the review.

The board scheduled its next meeting for Feb. 17, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. and recessed to another county location for part of the meeting; the public was informed of alternate meeting locations.

No formal policy changes were made; the board received operational updates and completed its routine ballot audits and approvals.