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Timeline: When will votes start being reported in North Carolina?

Here's when you can expect absentee, early, and in-person voting results to come in.

NORTH CAROLINA, USA — The polls close at 7:30 p.m. ET in North Carolina, and not long after that, voters will start to see results coming in. Here's what you can expect:

7:30 p.m. – Polls officially close

Polls close at 7:30 p.m., although state law permits the State Board to extend voting hours in the event of significant delays at certain polling locations. If any polling places have interruptions or delays in opening, results reporting for those affected areas will be postponed until all polls are closed.

7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. – Absentee (mail) ballot results expected

The first results are expected between 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., focusing on absentee-by-mail ballots that have already been approved by county boards of elections. 

8 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. – Early voting results to be released

Early voting results, including in-person early votes and absentee-by-mail votes, will be reported between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. North Carolina saw a record turnout in early voting, with residents taking advantage of the opportunity to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day. The results dashboard will refresh every 5-10 minutes to reflect updates. 

8 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. – Precinct results begin to arrive

During this time, precinct officials will deliver initial in-person voting results to County Boards of Elections (CBEs), where they will begin to be uploaded for state-wide reporting.

8:30 p.m. - Midnight – Ongoing reporting of precinct results

Between 8:30 p.m. and midnight, precinct-by-precinct results will continue to be uploaded to the Election Results Dashboard, with data refreshing every 5 to 10 minutes as more precincts report.

After Election Night – Additional absentee and provisional ballots added

After election night, county boards will continue to add military and overseas absentee ballots received by the return deadline, as well as provisional ballots approved during the canvassing period. Final results will not be official until this process concludes.

For the latest updates, head to our Elections Results page.

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