Page maintains 23-vote lead over Berger after official results

Board of elections offices across North Carolina held their county canvass meetings Friday morning to certify election results from the Tuesday March 3, 2026, primary. 

The county canvass is the official process used to finalize election results after all votes have been counted and is held 10 days after an election. County boards of elections reviewed and certified vote totals, ensuring that all ballots including absentee, provisional, and military/overseas have been properly processed and counted. 

The canvass also allows election officials to reconcile records, verify precinct totals, and address any outstanding ballot issues before results become official. 

“We are always told on election night that the reported vote totals are unofficial,” Andy Jackson, director of the John Locke Foundation’s Civitas Center for Public Integrity, told Carolina Journal. “The county canvass is where unofficial vote totals become official. The only exception is for races subject to recount.” 

In the tight race between Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page in North Carolina’s 26th Senate District, Page had a 23-vote advantage going into the canvas. The margin in that race after the Tuesday primary was just two votes but expanded to 23 last Friday when the boards of elections in Rockingham and Guilford counties approved some provisional ballots. After the canvass, the 23-vote margin remained unchanged. 

In Rockingham County, no votes were added or removed during the canvass. The final totals stand at 9,065 votes for Page and 4,526 for Berger. 

In Guilford County, seven votes were removed from the final count. These include voters who died before Election Day and from individuals who were still felons and ineligible to vote. North Carolina State Board of Elections data shows none of the ballots from these voters were cast in the northern portion of the county, which includes Senate District 26. The final totals are 4,071 for Page and 8,587 for Berger. 

With the official results in from both counties, the margin in the race remains under 1% of the total vote. North Carolina law allows the trailing candidate to request a recount when the race is within 1%, which must be filed with the State Board of Elections by noon on March 17. 

“The losing candidate can request a recount if the vote total is close enough; 0.5% for statewide races and 1% for other races,” said Jackson. “We fully expect that Phil Berger will demand a recount in his race against Sam Page.”

Phil Berger has not announced whether he will request a recount.

“Page maintains 23-vote lead over Berger after official results” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.