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Wednesday, November 4, 2026

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Elections · Wednesday, November 4, 2026

North Carolina kept five precincts open past the close

The File desk · Nov. 4, 2026, 6:34 a.m. ET

Confirmed1 primary sources

Status

Confirmed. The North Carolina State Board of Elections said on November 3, 2026, that it voted to extend voting at five precincts in four counties after voting stopped during the day. The release prints the sites, the clocks, and the rule it cites.
  • Confirmed
    The five sites and the extension clocks are the ones the state board release prints.
  • Confirmed
    The release says ballots from voters who arrived after 7:30 p.m. in those precincts are provisional.
  • Partially confirmed
    The release does not name a time zone for the clocks. The board's dateline is Raleigh.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections voted on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, to extend voting at five precincts in four counties after voting stopped during the day.1
The release says the delays varied by county. State law, , lets the board extend hours where voting is interrupted for at least 15 minutes, only for as long as the stoppage, and only at the sites that were interrupted.1
Columbus County extended South Williams, at the Tabor City Courthouse, until 8:15 p.m. Hertford County extended Como until 7:55 p.m. and Murfreesboro 1 until 8 p.m. Lenoir County extended the K8 precinct in Kinston until 8 p.m. Wilson County extended the city recreation building until 7:45 p.m. The release does not name a time zone.1
Voters who arrived after 7:30 p.m. in those precincts cast provisional ballots, the release says. The board said it would not publish unofficial statewide results until every poll had closed, and that the first results were expected around 8:15 p.m.1
Why it matters (Estimate). Estimate. People who reached those five polling places during the extra minutes could still vote, and those ballots are marked provisional until officials decide whether they count. Everyone waiting on a statewide number was told the board would hold results until the last of those polls closed. The release does not say how many people voted in the extra time, or whether the order in any race changed.
The release says the state has about 2,625 polling places. The address it prints for the Tabor City extension is 110 W Fourth St.1
How we know

Notes

  1. 1.North Carolina State Board of Elections, “State Board Extends Voting in 5 Precincts in 4 Counties,” Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Raleigh. The board voted to extend voting at five precincts in four counties because of stoppages. It cites : the board may extend voting where voting is interrupted for at least 15 minutes, only as long as the disruption, and only for the affected sites. All votes cast by voters who arrive after 7:30 p.m. in these precincts will be provisional. The board said it would not publish any unofficial results statewide until all polls were closed, and that the first results were expected around 8:15 p.m. Sites: Columbus, South Williams-Tabor City Courthouse, 110 W Fourth St., Tabor City, NC 28463, until 8:15 p.m.; Hertford, Como Fire and Rescue Building, 1201 U.S. 258 North, Como, NC 27818, until 7:55 p.m.; Hertford, Murfreesboro 1-Murfee Center, 201 E. Broad St., Murfreesboro, NC 27855, until 8 p.m.; Lenoir, K8 Holloway Recreation Center, 100 N. Myrtle Avenue, Kinston, NC 28501, until 8 p.m.; Wilson, Wilson City Recreation Building, 500 Sunset Road, Wilson, NC 27893, until 7:45 p.m. The release says the state has about 2,625 polling places. This desk did not open the statute text. https://www.ncsbe.gov/news/press-releases/2026/11/03/state-board-extends-voting-5-precincts-4-counties

What is still unknown or disputed

  • The time zone. The release prints the clocks and does not name one. The dateline is Raleigh.
  • How many people voted during the extra time.
  • Whether any race's order changed because of those ballots.

Primary sources

Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.

  1. Source 1

    State Board Extends Voting in 5 Precincts in 4 Counties

    North Carolina State Board of Elections · November 3, 2026

    The board extended voting at five precincts in Columbus, Hertford, Lenoir, and Wilson counties. Ballots cast after 7:30 p.m. in those precincts are provisional. The release does not name a time zone.

    https://www.ncsbe.gov/news/press-releases/2026/11/03/state-board-extends-voting-5-precincts-4-counties