ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Election officials began counting about 200 mail-in ballots at 1 p.m. Friday, which could play a central role in a tight race for Roanoke’s mayoral seat. These ballots, which arrived before the deadline of Friday noon under Virginia lawshould be processed with the results published late Friday afternoon.

These mail-in ballots are crucial in a race that stays incredibly close. According to the latest count, Vice Mayor Joe Cobb is behind former Mayor David Bowers by just 11 votes, a margin that could easily change with the addition of these mail-in ballots.

While officials initially reported that about 408 mail-in ballots had yet to be returned, half of them, or about 200, arrived on time, ensuring that Friday’s count could change the outcome .

Three members of the Roanoke Board of Elections verify voter information, according to election officials. Once they verify a voter’s eligibility, the ballot is placed in the voting machine to be scanned.

The law grants media limited access to the process. WDBJ7’s Patsy Montesinos was the only reporter in the room. Media are allowed to film some aspects of the process, but not the actual retrieval of ballots from envelopes. Two election observers were also present in the room.

Although Friday’s count will provide a clearer picture of the election, provisional ballots from verified voters won’t be processed until next week. These results could also have an impact on the final result.

The Roanoke Registrar’s Office sent this statement:

More than 40,000 Roanoke residents voted in the general and special elections on November 5, 2024. This includes the 1,223 voters who cast provisional ballots during the in-person voting period and on Election Day.

A provisional ballot is offered to a voter when further research is needed to confirm their eligibility to vote. Same-day registration, an interim process, was adopted in 2022 to provide individuals with the ability to register to vote and vote on the same day.

This process requires additional steps to verify each voter’s eligibility to vote in the polling location where their ballot was cast. Our office will continue to carefully and meticulously follow state election laws and guidelines to review each same-day registration application in preparation for our Election Commission’s decision next week.

The next batch of results to be reported will be representative of mail-in ballots cast on Election Day at each of our polling locations and mail-in ballots postmarked on or before November 5 and received by mail by the deadline. 12 p.m. state today, November 8. These vote totals will be posted online this evening.

Although these practices take more time, they are necessary to protect the integrity and security of our elections. Thank you for your patience as we continue to count. This year’s elections prove that every vote counts.

Local election boards across the Commonwealth have until Friday, November 15 to certify the election results. I am confident that Roanoke City will meet this deadline.

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