Durham elections director outlines recent state law changes and what they mean locally

Durham County elections director Derek Bowens told host Deborah Craig Ray that a recently passed state law, House Bill 834 (Session Law 2026-60), delivers administrative changes counties asked for and will change how some ballots are handled locally.

"It effectively allows us more time to count provisional and absentee ballots," Bowens said, adding that the law moves the supplemental-absentee cure window from three days post-election to five and "allows us to count between 9AM and 5PM" on election day if the county passes a resolution two weeks prior.

Bowens described the changes as largely administrative and helpful for administrators and voters but said a separate, longer-running bill, HB958, would have greater operational impact if it advanced. "That bill is effectively stalled," he said, noting many iterations and ongoing uncertainty about its final form.

Bowens also said new administrative rules under review could alter local procedures further and that the county expects to learn the final status by September 1 barring appeals. He framed HB834 as codifying existing policy in some areas while adding explicit deadlines and security protocols.

The Durham elections office intends to adopt any required resolutions and publicize changes to counting procedure in advance of the Nov. 3, 2026 general election to satisfy the law’s notice provisions and to minimize confusion for election workers and voters.