US Elections 2020: North Carolina to delay results after extending voting hours

WASHINGTON: Results of the US presidential election will be delayed in the key swing state of North Carolina after voting hours were extended at four polling locations due to technical issues.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE), which oversees more than 2,600 polling sites in the state, decidded to extend the voting on Tuesday evening at four locations in three counties, reports The Hill news website.

In North Carolina, polling sites remain open until 7.30 p.m. EST, but with the extensions, the earliest any election results could be released is 8.15 p.m. EST.


The Plainview Fire Station polling site in Sampson County saw the longest voting time extension, with the NCSBE giving the site 45 extra minutes, while a second site in the county was given 24 extra minutes.

The Bluford Elementary School polling site in Greensboro will remain open for an extra 34 minutes, and the polling site at the First Missionary Baptist Church in Concord in Cabarrus County will extend for an additional 17 minutes.

In a tweet on Tuesday, the Cabarrus County government said that the delay in voting at the First Missionary Baptist Church was "due to an issue with the onsite printer".

"With 2,660 polling sites, it's not unusual for minor issues to occur at polling sites that result in a brief disruption of voting," The Hill news website quoted the NCSBE as saying in a statement on Tuesday.

"The State Board routinely meets to discuss the extension of hours when the need arises."

Technical glitches at polling stations were also reported in the states of Ohio and Georgia.

A record 100 million Americans voted early and tens of millions more lined up to cast their ballots at polling places across the country on Tuesday in one of the most-anticipated presidential elections.