About Board of Elections

Mecklenburg County's Boards of Elections (BOE) is responsible for conducting all elections held in Mecklenburg County. Locally, we administer State election laws. Our principal functions include establishing election precincts and voting sites, appointing and training precinct officials, preparing and distributing ballots, voting equipment, canvassing and certifying the ballots cast in elections, and investigating any voting irregularities. We maintain voter registration for Mecklenburg County and provide public information on voters and elections.

Board Members

By law, each county in North Carolina has a five person board of elections. The State Board of Elections appoints four members – two Democrats and two Republicans – who each serve two-year terms on the BOE. The Governor appoints the fifth member who serves as board chair.

The State Board of Elections may remove any member of a county board for incompetency, neglect or failure to perform duties, fraud, or for any other satisfactory cause. 

The Board oversees the functions of our offices and hires a Director to administer all related duties.

Current Board Members

  • Beverly Earle , Chair (D)

  • Elizabeth M. McDowell, Secretary (R)

  • Christopher C. Fialko Member (D)

  • John Gresham, Member (D)

  • Mary Potter Summa, Member (R)

Board Duties

For more on the duties of county boards of elections, please refer to N.C.G.S. § 163-33, N.C.G.S. § 163-182.17(c) and N.C.G.S. § 163-166.1

    • Make and issue rules, regulations, and instructions necessary for the guidance of election officers and voters.
    • Appoint chief judges, judges, assistants, and other elections officials, and determine where they will serve. The county board also removes officials if the need arises.
    • Investigate irregularities, nonperformance of duties, and violations of laws by election officers and other persons, and report violations to the State Board.
    • Contract for the printing of ballots and other supplies used in registration and elections; and provide for the delivery of ballots, pollbooks, and other required papers and materials to voting places.
    • Buy and maintain voting booths, ballot boxes, registration and pollbooks, maps, flags, cards of instruction, and other forms, papers, and equipment used in elections.
    • Count absentee and provisional ballots and other official ballots required to be counted.
    • Certify results in all ballot items on the official ballot in the county.
    • Order a recount in any ballot item where necessary to complete the canvass.
    • Conduct any recount ordered by the county board or State Board.
    • Conduct hearings on election protests.