Ballots from Election Day arrived Tuesday night at the Wake County Board of Elections offices.

Early and absentee mail-in ballot results for Wake County voters were released earlier Tuesday evening. Mail-in ballots, which the Wake County Board of Elections has been receiving over the past month and a half, should be fully counted, with results expected by 7:30 p.m., coinciding with the close of Election Day polls.

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For early in-person voting, the state stationed 32 tabulators at 22 early voting sites, which are transported to the Wake County Board of Elections. At 7:30 p.m., the state processes results from these tabulators. Each machine is equipped with a memory stick that records results as the machine scans early voting ballots.

On Election Night, these memory sticks and printed paper tapes generated by the tabulators will be used to produce the results.

Nelle Hayes said she got involved to work as a poll worker so she wouldn't have the questions she had during the 2020 elections.

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"The 2020 election, I was disappointed in," she said. "I felt like there were so many questions that I felt maybe it was time I stepped up and took a more active role. It's worked out very well, because I've been very pleased with what I've found out about the Wake County Board of Elections and how they've taken care and time with each ballot."

Election officials note that printing the tapes is the most time-consuming part of the process. Once printed, the results from the memory sticks will be uploaded to the State Board of Elections website. The printed tape records will be used to verify the memory stick results during the 10-day auditing process.

How do I know if my vote counted?

When you ballot is inserted into a tabulator, your selections are recorded and stored on a memory device in the tabulator. According to the North Carolina Board of Elections, these results are counted and reported publicly after polls close on Election Day.

Depending on how you chose to vote, there are different ways to determine if your vote was received and counted by your county board of elections.

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If you voted early

  • Open your record on the State Board of Elections' Voter Search tool on their website.
    • Scroll down to "Your Ballot: By Mail or Early Voting" section.
      • If you voted during the early voting period, your "Voting Method" will be "EARLY VOTING," your "Ballot Status" will show "Valid Return" and your "Vote Status will say "ACCEPTED." This is updated the day after you cast your ballot at an early voting site.

        If you voted on Election Day

        • Use the Voter Search tool on the BOE website.
          • You ballot status will show up in the "Your Voter History" section as soon as your county completes the post-election process of assigning voter history.
            • The "Voted Method" will be "IN-PERSON ELECTION DAY." It may take a few weeks or longer after the election.

              If you voted absentee by mail

              • This includes military, overseas U.S. residents and visually impaired voters who submit their ballot electronically.
                • Open your record on the State Board of Elections' Voter Search tool on their website.
                  • If you voted during the early voting period, your "Voting Method" will be "EARLY VOTING," your "Ballot Status" will show "Valid Return" and your "Vote Status will say "ACCEPTED" or "ACCEPTED - CURED." This is updated the day after you cast your ballot at an early voting site.

                    For people who voted provisionally

                    • You can check the stats of your ballot 10 days after the election through the provisional search tool on the State Board of Elections website.
                      • You must fill out all the four fields of the form, including the PIN number given to you at the voting site where you voted provisionally