SALISBURY — The votes for the 2018 midterm elections in Rowan County are official, with little changes from election night.

The county Board of Elections declared the numbers final on Nov. 16.

Voter turnout increased by just over half a percent, with the final tally 0.61 percent higher than the election night count. All told, 49.96 percent of Rowan’s registered 95,968 voters cast a ballot.

This represents a 7.29 percent increase over the last midterm election in 2014, when 42.67 percent of registered voters cast ballots. Compared to the last “blue moon” election — an election without a Senate or gubernatorial race — turnout was up 19.51 percent. A mere 30.45 percent of voters cast ballots in 2006.

The shift from Tuesday’s preliminary numbers to the final count shows nearly 600 additional votes — a combination of absentee and provisional ballots.

Absentee votes are accepted as long as they are postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 6.

The small number meant little change in Rowan County races for North Carolina Senate and House and county commissioner.

In state Senate District 33, Republican victor Carl Ford pickup up an additional 317 votes between election night and the canvass. His Democratic challenger, Arin Wilhelm, received an additional 271.

Rowan’s three new House districts saw even smaller changes. In District 76, Republican winner Harry Warren received an additional 111 votes. Joe Fowler, his Democratic challenger, got an additional 116.

In District 77, Republican Julia Craven Howard maintained a lead of more than 40 percent, with 167 additional votes to Democrat Bonnie Dawn Clark’s 124.

In District 83, which has the smallest portions of Rowan County, a combined 40 additional votes were tallied: 21 for Republican victor Larry Pittman and 19 for Democratic challenger Gail Young.

Changes were equally small in the Rowan County commissioners race. Re-elected incumbents Judy Klusman, Greg Edds and Jim Greene received 328, 330 and 327 additional votes, respectively. Democratic challengers Veleria Levy and Latasha Wilks received an additional 228 and 225, respectively.

The final Rowan County vote tallies in the above races are as follows:

N.C. Senate District 33

• Republican Carl Ford, 31,375
• Democrat Arin Wilhelm, 16,104

N.C. House District 76

• Republican Harry Warren, 16,718
• Democrat Joe Fowler, 10,578

N.C. House District 77

• Republican Julia Craven Howard, 10,796
• Democrat Bonnie Dawn Clark, 4,127

N.C. House District 83

• Republican Larry Pittman, 3,593
• Democrat Gail Young, 1,326

Rowan County commissioners

• Republican Judy Klusman, 31,803
• Republican Greg Edds, 31,768
• Republican Jim Greene, 31,645
• Democrat Veleria Levy, 13,893
• Democrat Latasha Wilks, 12,951