Raleigh, North Carolina: State Board Extends Voting at Five Precincts, Statewide Results Held Until 8:15 p.m.

North Carolina will post no election results before 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday after the State Board of Elections voted to extend voting at five precincts in four counties where the morning vote was interrupted.

The board met in an emergency session at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to consider delays reported in seven counties. It voted unanimously to extend voting at one precinct in Columbus County, one in Lenoir County, two in Hertford County and one in Wilson County. It declined to extend voting at precincts under review in Gates, Watauga and Wilkes counties.

The extensions, precinct by precinct

In Columbus County, voting at the South Williams precinct at the Tabor City Courthouse will run 45 minutes late, until 8:15 p.m., the longest extension in the state. In Lenoir County, one Kinston precinct will vote 30 minutes late, until 8 p.m. In Hertford County, a Murfreesboro precinct will vote until 8 p.m. and a Como precinct until 7:55 p.m. In Wilson County, one precinct will vote 15 minutes late, until 7:45 p.m.

State officials reported minor delays on Tuesday morning at polling sites in Hertford, Gates, Wilson and Lenoir counties and blamed computer problems and printer jams, which they said had been resolved. The board also heard about disruptions that ranged from a building being opened late to a disruptive voter and laptop problems. Under state law, the board may extend voting only at a site where voting was interrupted for at least 15 minutes, and only for as long as the interruption lasted.

Anyone who arrives at an extended precinct after the regular 7:30 p.m. close will cast a provisional ballot. Voters already in line at 7:30 p.m. cast a regular ballot.

Results held statewide until the last extended precinct closes

Because voting will still be open somewhere in the state until 8:15 p.m., no county may post results until then. Counties can keep counting ballots in the meantime. The hold covers the whole state, including counties where voting ended on time at 7:30 p.m.

North Carolina polls opened at 6:30 a.m. and were set to close at 7:30 p.m. Before the extensions, the State Board expected approved absentee by mail results to post between 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. and early voting results between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Those postings now shift behind the 8:15 p.m. mark.

State Board Executive Director Sam Hayes said on Tuesday morning that the board wants every eligible voter to have the chance to vote. "We want every eligible voter to have the opportunity to participate, and we want every lawful vote to count," he said.

A high-turnout midterm in a battleground state

Nearly 2.82 million North Carolinians voted early this year, about 40 percent more than in the 2022 midterms, according to the University of Florida Election Lab figures cited by state coverage. The state is deciding an open U.S. Senate seat, left by Republican Thom Tillis, between Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley, in one of the races that will decide control of the Senate.

Extensions on Election Day are a routine tool in North Carolina. In 2022, sites in three counties were extended by an hour. Tuesday's changes are smaller, but they move the first results of the night for every voter in the state.