Boone's Mayor Asks Residents to Help Cure Ballots

Boone Mayor Dalton George is asking residents to sign up to help cure ballots in the race for North Carolina's 5th Congressional District, where the count is still unofficial and tight.

In an Instagram post, George said the North Carolina Democratic Party is working to cure ballots so every valid vote is counted. He put the gap between Democrat Chuck Hubbard and his opponent at 99 votes. "We still have a hill to climb to make Chuck Hubbard our next Congressman," he wrote.

Our own count has Hubbard ahead of Republican Virginia Foxx, 139,034 to 138,935, and counties keep adding ballots through the Nov. 13 canvass. Watauga Goes Blue, and Hubbard Leads Foxx by 99 Votes in the 5th has the county's results and where the district race stands.

Curing a ballot means fixing a problem that got it flagged, so it can still count. George pointed readers to his Linktree, which links to sign-ups run by the NC Coordinated Campaign, a Democratic effort. The Ballot Cure Canvass in Watauga County is on our events page. It runs Friday, Nov. 6 through Monday, Nov. 9, with shifts from 9 a.m. to noon, noon to 3 p.m., 3 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. each day. Volunteers knock on the doors of likely Democratic voters whose ballots were rejected and walk them through what they need to do.

Each shift opens with a training. Volunteers need a phone with the MiniVAN app, comfortable clothes and walking shoes. Canvass addresses are shared only after you sign up. The Linktree also lists a phonebank.

Track the race on our election map.