Delays lead North Carolina State Board of Elections to extend voting hours at 2 precincts
Nov 05, 2024
(WGHP) — Problems at two North Carolina precincts prompted the North Carolina State Board of Elections to extend voting hours by 30 minutes at those locations on Election Day.
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During an emergency meeting, the NCSBE learned that the Gardners School precinct in Elm City, Wilson County, opened at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday morning as scheduled. However, from about 6:40 a.m. to 8:07 a.m., voters could not be processed because it could not print authorization to vote forms. A line formed during this time, and about 10 people reportedly left. About four voters returned.
In Burke County, a resident said they were at The Rock church location in Morganton and saw that, while the site opened at 6:30 a.m., it was not able to immediately begin the voting process due to a problem with printers at the site. An information technology tech arrived at the polling site at 6:46 a.m. It's unclear exactly what time the process was able to start with the tech reporting that the process was moving by about 6:56 a.m. and an affidavit saying the process did not get moving until closer to 7 a.m. or 7:15 a.m. Five voters who were in line left during this time. Even after the voting process was able to begin, the process was slow, and another two voters left. A few voters drove over to the Burke County Board of Elections, and the election director allowed them to vote there.
The NCSBE decided that both the Gardners School precinct in Elm City, Wilson County, and The Rock church precinct in Morganton, Burke County, will stay open an extra 30 minutes, closing at 8 p.m. on Tuesday night.
No other issues were reported.