By Jay Dellinger, Publisher

RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolina voters will have to wait a little longer Tuesday evening for election results after the North Carolina State Board of Elections approved extended voting hours at five precincts in four counties following interruptions in voting.

The decision will delay the statewide release of unofficial election results until approximately 8:15 p.m., about 45 minutes later than the originally scheduled 7:30 p.m. closing time.

According to the State Board of Elections, the extensions were approved for polling locations in Columbus, Hertford, Lenoir and Wilson counties after temporary interruptions prevented voters from casting their ballots during normal voting hours.

The affected locations include the South Williams Tabor City Courthouse in Columbus County, where voting has been extended until 8:15 p.m.; the Como Fire and Rescue Building in Hertford County, where voting will continue until 7:55 p.m.; the Murfreesboro 1-Murfee Center in Hertford County, where voting will remain open until 8 p.m.; the K8 Holloway Recreation Center in Lenoir County, where voting will continue until 8 p.m. and the Wilson City Recreation Building in Wilson County, where voting has been extended until 7:45 p.m.

Under North Carolina law, election officials may extend voting hours when a polling location experiences an interruption lasting at least 15 minutes. Any extension must be limited to the length of the interruption.

Although the changes involve only five of the state's approximately 2,625 polling locations, the decision affects election night reporting across North Carolina. State officials will withhold the release of unofficial results from all counties until voting has concluded at the final affected precinct.

That means residents of Lincoln County and the City of Lincolnton will also experience a delay in seeing election night results even though no Lincoln County precincts were included in the State Board's announcement.

The delay does not prevent election officials from continuing their normal ballot counting procedures. Instead, it postpones when unofficial vote totals can be made available to the public through the state's election reporting system.

Once results begin appearing, totals will continue to be updated throughout the evening as county election offices report ballots cast during early voting, absentee voting and Election Day.

While many races may become clearer Tuesday night, election night totals remain unofficial. County boards of elections must still review provisional ballots, determine the eligibility of outstanding ballots and complete their canvass procedures before results become official.

In closely contested races, additional ballots counted during the canvass period could affect the final outcome. The delayed release of results Tuesday evening does not mean votes have been changed or that the certification process itself has been postponed.

For voters following local races in Lincoln County, the additional wait will simply mean that the first statewide election returns will become available later than originally anticipated.

The Lincoln Herald will continue monitoring election developments and reporting results as they become available.

Readers can follow the 2026 election results live on LincolnHerald.com, including races in Lincoln County and across North Carolina. To watch the results as they come in, visit our election coverage page:

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