NC Polls Run Late in Wilson, Lenoir, Hertford; Results Delayed

North Carolina's State Board of Elections spent Election Day tracking technical problems at precincts in four counties, and a few polling places stayed open late as a result, pushing back the statewide results timeline, according to WRAL's live coverage.

Board spokesperson Jason Tyson said at 8 a.m. that officials were looking into a possible issue at Vinson-Bynum Elementary in Wilson, and cited minor morning delays in Lenoir, Wilson and Hertford counties. "We're looking into it and we'll update as soon as we have correspondence from the county," Tyson said.

The board then announced a 2 p.m. meeting to review the reported issues and consider recommending extended voting hours at affected precincts. Tyson said the meeting was routine and labeled 'emergency' only to satisfy public-notice requirements. By 11 a.m. the board said it was tracking minor technical issues in four counties and that such disruptions can occur on Election Day.

By mid-afternoon, WRAL reported that a Wilson recreation center on Sunset Road NW would stay open an extra 15 minutes, and that results were expected to be delayed at least 45 minutes, to roughly 8:15 p.m., because a few precincts remained open late. WRAL's page names only three of the four counties, and we could not confirm the fourth, the exact closing times, or the outcome of the 2 p.m. meeting.

Those are reported glitches, not evidence of anything worse, and officials describe them as minor. Still, our view: when voters in several counties hit trouble at once, the public is owed a plain accounting of what failed, and why. Expect us to follow it.