Photo: Warren LeMay / Wikimedia (archive)
North Carolina election officials extended voting Tuesday at five precincts in four counties after interruptions during the day, pushing the expected start of statewide unofficial results reporting to around 8:15 p.m. Eastern. The order does not extend voting hours at every polling place in the state.
The State Board of Elections said in its extension notice that it will not publish any unofficial results statewide until all polls are closed. Its earlier Election Day schedule called for results reporting after the regular 7:30 p.m. closing time.
The extra time applies only to the sites named by the board in Columbus, Hertford, Lenoir and Wilson counties. The latest closing time is 8:15 p.m. at the South Williams-Tabor City Courthouse precinct in Columbus County.
The five precincts with extended hours
All times below are Eastern, and all addresses and precinct names are from the State Board’s notice:
- Columbus County, until 8:15 p.m.: South Williams-Tabor City Courthouse, 110 W Fourth St., Tabor City, NC 28463.
- Hertford County, until 7:55 p.m.: Como Fire and Rescue Building, 1201 U.S. 258 North, Como, NC 27818.
- Hertford County, until 8 p.m.: Murfreesboro 1-Murfee Center, 201 E. Broad St., Murfreesboro, NC 27855.
- Lenoir County, until 8 p.m.: K8 Holloway Recreation Center, 100 N. Myrtle Avenue, Kinston, NC 28501.
- Wilson County, until 7:45 p.m.: Wilson City Recreation Building, 500 Sunset Road, Wilson, NC 27893.
Voters who arrive after 7:30 p.m. at those precincts will cast provisional ballots, the board said, citing state law. The extension gives voters more time at the affected locations; it does not change the closing time at other precincts.
Why the results reporting schedule changes
The board said election officials cannot release results while voting continues in many contests. Its new estimate of around 8:15 p.m. concerns when the first unofficial results will be posted, not when counting will be complete or any contest decided.
State law allows the board to extend voting at a site where voting has been interrupted for at least 15 minutes, but only for the affected site and only for as long as the disruption. The board said the causes of Tuesday’s delays varied by county; its release did not give a separate cause for each precinct.
With about 2,625 polling places statewide, brief disruptions are not unusual, the board said. Its election primer explains that routine problems such as power outages, tabulator issues and printer jams are not indications of malicious activity. The extension notice did not report hacking or fraud.
Election-night returns remain unofficial. The board’s guidance says final results follow post-election checks and the canvass process. Tuesday’s announcement changes the voting and reporting timetable at the specified locations; it provides no election results or basis for calling a race.
JBizNews Desk | Raleigh
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