RALEIGH, N.C. — Voters in North Carolina will have to wait a little longer for election results Tuesday night after the State Board of Elections approved extended voting hours at five precincts across four counties, including two in Hertford County.
The board voted Tuesday afternoon to extend polling hours following disruptions that prevented or delayed voting at several locations.
As a result, the first unofficial election results are now expected to be released around 8:15 p.m., approximately 45 minutes later than originally scheduled.
State election officials say results cannot be publicly released until all polling locations have closed.
Voting delays in Hertford County
In northeastern North Carolina, computer and printer issues caused disruptions at several polling locations in Hertford County.
During Tuesday's State Board of Elections meeting, Hertford County elections director Parker explained that she contacted all 13 polling locations after learning about technical problems.
At the Como precinct, located at the Como Fire and Rescue Building, four voters left the polling location because they needed to get to work in Virginia.
At the time of the meeting, one of those voters had returned to cast a ballot, while the remaining three were expected to return after work.
Election officials reported that the first successful vote at the Como location was recorded at approximately 6:55 a.m., about 25 minutes after polls were scheduled to open.
The State Board voted to extend voting at the Como precinct until 7:55 p.m.
At the Murfreesboro 1 precinct, located at the Murfee Center, election workers experienced problems printing voter authorization forms.
According to the county elections director, workers eventually switched to emergency backup procedures, using 11 emergency labels before the electronic system was functioning properly.
One voter left the location before casting a ballot but indicated that he planned to return after work.
The board approved a 30-minute extension at that location, allowing voting to continue until 8 p.m.
Other locations in Hertford County, including St. John and Union, also experienced technical issues, but the board did not approve extended hours at those precincts.
Gates County precinct opens late
Voting was also delayed Tuesday morning at a polling location in neighboring Gates County.
According to state election officials, the North Sunbury Substation 2 precinct, located at 250 Parker's Fork Road in Corapeake, did not begin voting until approximately 7 a.m.
Polls were scheduled to open at 6:30 a.m.
Officials said the delay occurred because the person responsible for unlocking the building did not arrive in time for election workers to prepare the location.
Three voters left the polling location before casting their ballots.
However, Gates County's elections director told the State Board that all three voters later returned and successfully voted.
"My poll worker, the chief judge, she stated to me that the three people that they did leave, and she personally knew them, and they came back," the director said during Tuesday's meeting.
"From my understanding, nobody else left, and they were able. The rest of the voters were able to vote."
Because the three voters returned and officials reported no additional voters leaving, the State Board did not extend polling hours in Gates County.
Five precincts receive extended voting hours
The State Board of Elections ultimately approved extensions at five precincts in four counties.
The affected locations include:
| County | Precinct | New closing time |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus | South Williams-Tabor City Courthouse | 8:15 p.m. |
| Hertford | Como Fire and Rescue Building | 7:55 p.m. |
| Hertford | Murfreesboro 1-Murfee Center | 8 p.m. |
| Lenoir | K8 Holloway Recreation Center | 8 p.m. |
| Wilson | Wilson City Recreation Building | 7:45 p.m. |
Under North Carolina law, the State Board can extend voting hours when voting is interrupted for at least 15 minutes. However, extensions cannot exceed the length of the disruption and apply only to the affected polling locations.
Voters who were already in line by 7:30 p.m. can cast regular ballots.
Those who arrive after 7:30 p.m. during the extended voting period must cast provisional ballots.
When will North Carolina election results be released?
The State Board of Elections says the first unofficial results are expected around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday.
Although most polling locations across North Carolina are scheduled to close at 7:30 p.m., the extensions mean election officials must wait before publicly posting results.
The state has approximately 2,625 polling locations, and election officials say minor technical problems and brief disruptions are not unusual on Election Day.
The State Board routinely meets to consider extending polling hours when those issues arise.
Voters can follow the latest unofficial election results through the North Carolina State Board of Elections Results Dashboard.
News 3 will continue monitoring election results across northeastern North Carolina as votes are counted Tuesday night.
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