The Avery County Board of Elections officially certified results of the Feb. 3 special election in Avery County to implement a land transfer tax.  The measure failed by 35 votes, with 1,449 voting against the tax and 1,414 in favor.  Officials initially thought the measure had passed after some polling places erroneously reported results on election night.

The latest result marks the 24th consecutive time that a county land-transfer tax has failed to earn favor with North Carolina voters since November 2007. The Avery County vote was the closest the tax has come to passing, with other referenda failing by an average of 75 percent to 25 percent.