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At the Bantam Chef drive-thru and restaurant in Marion, North Carolina, patrons were enjoying the bacon, eggs, hot coffee and savoring Donald Trump's return to the White House.

Working the takeout window, Beth Cates was wearing a T-shirt with the words, "The Constitution doesn't need to be rewritten. It needs to be reread."

"I feel great," she beamed as she passed coffee through the window. "The right man won."

County elections boards still have thousands of ballots to process before a final count for this year's political contests becomes official.

And that could make a big difference in a key judicial race.

Through Wednesday morning, Republican Jefferson Griffin leads Democrat Allison Riggs by fewer than 10,000 votes for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court 鈥� the margin needed for a second-place finisher in a statewide race to demand a recount.

But counties must first complete the canvass, the 10-day post-election audit period during which local elections boards count provisional ballots. Provisional ballots are used when a voter's registration status couldn't be confirmed at the polling place or if they didn't have a photo ID.

The state elections board won't know until Wednesday night how many provisional ballots were cast on Election Day, but it will be considerably more than the roughly 5,700 cast during early voting.

Incumbents swept the Wake County School Board election.

The race is non-partisan, although many candidates are registered with a party.

Registered Democrats Lynn Edmonds, Sam Hershey, Lindsay Mahaffey and Toshiba Rice kept their seats, as did registered Republican Wing Ng.

Democrat Rep. Don Davis is claiming victory in North Carolina's 1st Congressional District over Republican challenger Laurie Buckhout and will seemingly be narrowly reelected to his U.S. House seat.

In a speech early Wednesday morning in his hometown of Snow Hill, Davis told supporters, according to WRAL: "We did it. Eastern North Carolina, we're in this fight for you. So many often feel left out and left behind. Please know that I see you and I'm glad to remain in this fight representing you."

Considered one of the more moderate Democratic congressmen, Davis, 53, seems to have the edge over a political newcomer in Buckhout 鈥� a 62-year-old retired Army colonel and defense contract consultant from Edenton 鈥� by about 5,826 votes or 1.56%, unofficially. That's with all precincts reporting, but with provisional ballots still to be counted.

Read more on the 1st Congressional District race here.

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Incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis and Republican challenger Laurie Buckhout remained in a close contest early Wednesday for North Carolina鈥檚 .

With the vast majority of precincts reporting, Davis and Buckhout were separated by a narrow margin in the closely watched race for the 1st Congressional District, one of the few competitive districts across the Southeast.

鈥淟ike all of you, we are reviewing all the results as they come in," Buckhout said in a statement early Wednesday. "Once the votes have been counted, we will look at all options for getting this over and done with. If a recount is required, we will be ready.鈥�

A spokesperson for Davis said his team was waiting for more results to come in before commenting on the race.

The contest between Davis and Buckhout has attracted millions of dollars from both parties to either flip or maintain the district, which spans from Currituck County to a small portion of Granville County in the state's northeast.

The district's political landscape is a bit different for Davis compared to when he defeated Republican opponent Sandy Smith in 2022. Last year, the GOP-controlled state legislature to the district, making it less blue than it once was.

Davis was born and raised in Snow Hill and has held various political positions in the region, including as his hometown's mayor and a state senator. He also is a U.S. Air Force veteran.

Buckhout served in the U.S. Army for more than 25 years before retiring and starting a Virginia-based military technology consulting company. She sold the company and moved to Edenton a few years ago.

Both Davis and Buckhout have sought to tie each other to the unpopular policies or controversial behaviors of other candidates in their respective parties.

Buckhout's campaign has repeatedly tried to tie Davis with Vice President Kamala Harris' economic and immigration policies as a way to win over voters dissatisfied with the Biden-Harris administration. Davis voted with House Republicans in July to condemn Harris' work at the U.S.-Mexico border, then endorsed her presidential run a day later. He has also campaigned with her, speaking at one of her rallies in Greenville in October.

Democratic groups supporting Davis, meanwhile, have tried to draw connections between Buckhout and , whose gubernatorial campaign has been fighting back against a CNN report alleging that he made several graphic sexual and racist comments on an online pornography forum about a decade ago. Robinson has denied the claims, and The Associated Press has not independently verified them.

Those groups also have used photos in which Buckhout appears with Robinson to tie her to the lieutenant governor's . Buckhout has previously said that she's focused on her own race rather than Robinson's.

Democrat Josh Stein has defeated Republican Mark Robinson in the race for North Carolina Governor.

Stein was elected Attorney General in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. He will be the first Jewish governor of the Tar Heel State.

In his acceptance speech, Stein says there are several challenges he plans to address in the role. That includes tax cuts for workers, higher pay for teachers, and expanding technical education.

"We must reject the politics of division, fear and hate that keep us from finding common ground. We will go further when we go together, not as Democrats, not as Republicans, not as independents, but as North Carolinians."

On Wednesday morning, Stein led Robinson by 811,079 votes, or 14%.

There were no surprises in Congressional races in North Carolina Tuesday night. Republicans won 10 seats, and Democrats won three.

One seat, expected to be the lone toss-up, was competitive entering the night.

That seat is in the 1st Congressional District in the northeastern part of the state. With all precincts reporting, Democrat incumbent Don Davis is leading republican Laurie Buckhout.

Davis leads by more than 1.5%, outside the threshold for a recount. Buckhout said on social media overnight that she may request recount if it is "required."

NC General Assembly Official Website

State Sen. Rachel Hunt is the projected winner in the race for lieutenant governor, the first Democrat to win the race since 2008.

The position for lieutenant governor was left up for grabs by incumbent Mark Robinson, who lost his bid for governor on Tuesday to Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein.

Hunt faced a competitive race for lieutenant governor, besting Hal Weatherman 49% to 47%, with the remaining ballots cast for third-party Libertarian and Constitution candidates.

Hunt follows the footsteps of her father Jim Hunt, a four-term governor who also served as lieutenant governor.

The biggest issues in the race came down to abortion and education 鈥� Hunt wants to codify Roe v. Wade into state law and wants additional education funding from the legislature.

Hunt is a member of the North Carolina State Senate representing the 42nd district of Mecklenburg County.

With 99% of precincts reporting, North Carolina's council of state races began to come in to picture.

At the top of the ticket, Josh Stein, a Democrat, handedly won the race for governor. Other races, however, were not as close. Here's a breakdown of the remaining council of state races by winning party

Democrat

• Rachel Hunt is projected to defeat Hal Weatherman to become Lt. Governor
• Jeff Jackson is projected to defeat Dan Bishop to be come Attorney General
• Elaine Marshall is projected to defeat Chad Brown to become Secretary of State
• Mo Green is projected to defeat Michele Morrow to become School Superintendent

Republican

• Dave Boliek is projected to defeat Jessica Holmes to become Auditor
• Steve Troxler is projected to defeat Sarah Taber to become Commissioner of Agriculture
• Mike Causey is projected to defeat Natasha Marcus to become Insurance Commissioner
• Luke Farley is projected to defeat Braxton Winston to become Labor Commissioner
• Brad Briner is projected to defeat Wesley Harris to become state Treasurer

Cary citizens have voted against two bonds totaling $590 million that proposed to expand the town鈥檚 parks and recreation offerings and affordable housing.

The larger of the two bonds by far was a $560 million parks and recreation bond, which some residents criticized . About 55% of voters voted 鈥淣o鈥� on the parks bond versus nearly 45% who voted in favor of it.

The parks bond measure would have funded several projects, including $300 million for a large sports and recreation center in the South Hills district, $150 million for a community center in western Cary, $10 million for an Asian garden and $60 million to expand the Cary Tennis Park clubhouse and stadium.

The smaller of the two bonds would have funded affordable housing projects in Cary. If both had been approved, the town would have increased property tax rate by 9 cents. The current property tax rate is 32.5 cents per $100 of assessed property value, so the increase to property taxes would鈥檝e been approximately 26%.

Several Cary officials and voters told 吉彩网网站 in the week leading up to the election that the projects would benefit the town鈥檚 rapidly growing community. The population of Cary has grown by 38% since 2010. The bond also would have added more senior recreational facilities; currently there is only one senior center in town.

The $142 million Wake County libraries bond, however, did pass. That measure will fund new libraries in Apex and Rolesville, expand the Fuquay-Varina community library into a regional library and renovate several libraries throughout the county.

Meanwhile, in Durham, residents voted in favor of two bond measures: a $115 million to repair and add streets and sidewalks, and another that would provide $85 million to improve East End and Long Meadow Park, and a new aquatic center at Merrick-More Park right by the Wheels Roller Rink.

Chapel Hill voters also approved several municipal bonds that would fund affordable housing, enhancements to parks and recreation facilities, replacements to fire stations, improve streets and sidewalks, and extend the Bolin Creek Greenway.

Long lines at two polling sites in New Hanover and Mecklenburg delayed posting returns, said a N.C. Board of Elections spokesman.

The two polling locations included one in New Hanover County, near the UNC Wilmington campus, and another in Mecklenburg County, near the UNC Charlotte campus. The lines were so long that voters were still casting ballots at those sites around 9 p.m.

Chris Seward

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AP

Former President Donald Trump won the battleground state of North Carolina on Tuesday.

Trump receives the state's 16 electoral votes after defeating Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Trump also won the state in 2016 and 2020, but Democrats had been optimistic they could reverse previous outcomes with campaign spending, canvassing and Harris rallies. They also tried to link Trump to embattled Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson.

But Trump and running mate JD Vance visited North Carolina often during the fall campaign, pushing a more protectionist economic agenda and promises to crack down on illegal immigration and the southern border. The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 11:18 p.m. EST.

Read more on Trump's win in North Carolina.

Nell Redmond

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AP

Democratic Rep. Jeff Jackson has defeated Republican Congressman Dan Bishop in the race for N.C. attorney general. Jackson won the seat with 51.8% of the vote.

He was elected to Congress in 2022 and previously served four terms in the state senate. After the Republican-dominated N.C. General Assembly redrew congressional maps in 2023, Jackson decided to run for attorney general rather than seek reelection in the 14th congressional district. Earlier tonight, House Speaker Tim Moore won the race for that district.

Jackson is also known for his conversational TikTok videos in which he explains the action on Capitol Hill, and has about 2.2 million followers on that platform.

For more on Jackson's victory, read our piece by Aaron Sanchez-Guerra.

An amendment that will change the language in the state constitution around noncitizens voting has passed via ballot referenda, according to a call from the Associated Press. With 86% of votes reported as 11:05 p.m. on Tuesday night, the measure passed with 77% of the vote.

A vote for the amendment would change the language in the state constitution to: 鈥淥nly a citizen of the United States who is 18 years of age鈥� and remove language about naturalized citizens.

It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal or state elections. The current entry in the North Carolina constitution says that voting is limited to 鈥渆very person born in the United States and every other person who has been naturalized, 18 years of age.鈥�

Multiple advocacy groups and Democrats came out against the ballot measure, saying it鈥檚 unnecessary and will sow confusion among immigrant voters who are legally allowed to vote.

Republican Tim Moore won election to a U.S. House seat representing North Carolina on Tuesday, flipping a Democratic-held district.

Moore, who is speaker of the state House, ran in one of three North Carolina districts that was widely expected to flip after the Republican-dominated General Assembly redrew congressional maps in 2023.

Andrew Harnik

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AP

Democratic Rep. Jeff Jackson ran for state attorney general rather than seek reelection in the district, which includes the eastern suburbs of Charlotte. The Associated Press declared Moore the winner at 10:21 p.m. EST.

Mitchell Northam

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Republican Mark Harris won election to a U.S. House seat representing North Carolina鈥檚 8^th Congressional District on Tuesday.

A Baptist minister, Harris won six years after his previous U.S. House bid derailed during an absentee ballot scandal. It appeared Harris was the 2018 election winner, but an investigation found a political operative working for him 鈥� the late McCrae Dowless 鈥� gathered blank or partially filled ballots and turned them in. Harris cooperated with investigators but declined to run in a new special election.

Harris ran this year in a Republican-leaning district stretching from Charlotte to Lumberton. The seat became open when GOP Rep. Dan Bishop ran for attorney general. The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 9:43 p.m. ET.

Here鈥檚 who else the Associated Press has called U.S. House races for in North Carolina:

• 2nd District: Democrat Deborah Ross (Incumbent)
• 3rd District: Republican Greg Murphy (Incumbent)
• 4th District: Democrat Valerie Foushee (Incumbent)
• 5th District: Republican Virginia Foxx (Incumbent)
• 6th District: Republican Addison McDowell
• 7th District: Republican David Rouzer (Incumbent)
• 10th District: Republican Pat Harrigan
• 11th District: Republican Chuck Edwards (Incumbent)
• 12th District: Democrat Alma Adams (Incumbent)
• 13th District: Republican Brad Knott
• 14th District: Republican Tim Moore

Lynn Hey

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Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson conceded the race shortly after the race was called by the Associated Press.

"I'm not sad one lick, I'm a little disappointed," he told supporters in Raleigh. "I'm disappointed for you, because I wanted this so bad for you. I wanted this for the people of North Carolina, not for me. I wanted it for them. I wanted to represent them."

Robinson said he'll now finish out his term as lieutenant governor and spend time with family.

He didn't rule out another run for office, saying "who knows, maybe in the future, once again, somewhere in office."
Robinson didn鈥檛 mention Democrat Josh Stein by name in his concession speech, but he did take some digs at his opponent鈥檚 campaign strategy, which included a barrage of TV ads featuring the lieutenant governor鈥檚 most controversial comments about abortion, women and other topics.

鈥淢y head is held high, and the reason why my head is held high is because I ran away a race where I did not have to lie, I did not have to tell half-truths,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 did not have to spend millions and millions and millions of dollars demonizing anyone.鈥�

Stein gave his victory speech before an enthusiastic crowd of Democrats soon after, coming on stage following an introduction from current Gov. Roy Cooper.

鈥淭onight, the people of North Carolina resoundingly embraced a vision that's optimistic, forward-looking and welcoming, a vision that's about creating opportunity for every North Carolinian,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e chose hope over hate, competence over chaos, decency over division.鈥�

It鈥檚 so far unclear if Stein will face a Republican veto-proof majority in the legislature, as most of the competitive legislative races remain too close to call.

As vote tallies continued to roll in at 9 p.m., a lot of key election data remains absent from the vote tallies, potentially skewing the results showing for statewide races.

As of 9 p.m., no Election Day votes have been reported from the state鈥檚 two largest, left-leaning counties: Wake and Mecklenburg. And no votes at all have been reported from urban Guilford County. Conservative-leaning suburban Gaston County outside Charlotte hadn鈥檛 reported any votes either.

Bottom line: If it looks like a candidate is behind in the statewide race, it could easily change in the hours ahead as more results get posted. State elections officials have said they expected most results to get posted by midnight or 1 a.m. at the latest.

Under state law, voters must return absentee-by-mail ballots in their home county, whether sending it to their local elections office or dropping it off in person at an early voting site. However, in response to Helene, which devastated western North Carolina just before the start of early voting, state lawmakers included a provision in disaster-relief legislation that allowed evacuees of the storm to return their absentee ballots in any North Carolina county where they have been staying.

According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, 286 Helene evacuees submitted their absentee ballots in counties other than their home county. Those voters come from 17 western North Carolina counties slammed by the catastrophic storm. For example, evacuees from seven counties 鈥� Cleveland, Henderson, Jackson, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey 鈥� submitted their absentee ballots at polling sites or the local elections office in Wake County.

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N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein has won the state鈥檚 race for governor, according to a race call by the Associated Press.

Stein easily defeated Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, whose campaign cratered after CNN reported that he鈥檇 posted pro-slavery, pro-Nazi comments on a pornographic website. Robinson, who had been endorsed by former President Trump, has denied writing the posts 鈥� saying they were faked 鈥� and is suing CNN for defamation.

For more on Stein's victory, read Colin Campbell's report.

Democratic Rep. Valerie Foushee won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing North Carolina on Tuesday.

Foushee was elected to a second term, defeating Republican Eric Blankenburg and a Libertarian candidate in the 4th Congressional District, which includes the overwhelmingly Democratic communities of Chapel Hill and Durham.

In 2023, she succeeded veteran Rep. David Price, who had been on the congressional ballot continuously from 1986 through 2020. Foushee is a former police department administrator who served on a local school board, a county commission and in the General Assembly. She serves on House transportation and science committees. The Associated Press declared Foushee the winner at 8:23 p.m. EST.

In the 2022 Senate race, about a half hour after polls closed in North Carolina, Democrat Cheri Beasley had a lead of nearly 200,000 votes. By midnight, Republican Ted Budd had a lead of over 150,000 votes.

North Carolina counts nearly all its ballots on election night. The first reports of the night in most North Carolina counties will be the results of mail ballots, followed by early in-person votes. Later updates will include results from ballots cast on Election Day. North Carolina has a history of counting its Election Day vote pretty quickly, so if a blue mirage does arise from those first reports, it might not last very long.

It's unclear how vote counting may be affected by put in place in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which ravaged western parts of the state. Among other changes, the legislature decided that voters in 25 counties affected by Helene may drop off their absentee ballots at open early in-person voting sites and county elections offices anywhere in the state. Those ballots still must be turned in by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day in order to count.

The number of North Carolina voters who cast a provisional ballot during this year鈥檚 early voting period almost doubled from 2020, which was before the state鈥檚 photo ID requirement for voters went into effect.

Voters must submit provisional ballots for several reasons. Those include: when questions arise about their eligibility or registration status; when, on Election Day, they show up at the wrong precinct to vote; or now that the photo ID requirement is in effect, when they fail to provide an acceptable form of ID.

A voter may claim an exception to the ID rule, which includes losing one鈥檚 identification due to a recent natural disaster, such as Helene, which devastated western North Carolina shortly before the start of early voting, or a religious objection to being photographed. Alternatively, a voter who shows up at a polling site without an ID may opt to bring a valid form of identification to their local elections office before the county canvass.

In 2020, approximately 2,960 voters cast provisional ballots during early voting, according to data provided by the North Carolina State Board of Elections. On Election Day that year, more than 37,000 voters cast provisional ballots.

During this year鈥檚 early voting period, roughly 5,770 voters had to cast provisional ballots 鈥� and for 2,818 of them, the reason was related to photo ID. Of those, 128 cited a natural disaster as the reason they did not possess a photo ID.

Provisional ballots get processed and, when validated, counted during the 10-day post-election canvass period. In 2020, of the more than 40,000 provisional ballots cast, 13,620 were approved and more than 24,000 were not counted.

Former President Donald Trump won South Carolina on Tuesday, earning its nine electoral votes for the third straight election. South Carolina has not voted for the Democratic nominee for president since 1976, when Democrat Jimmy Carter -- the governor of the neighboring state of Georgia -- defeated Republican President Gerald Ford throughout the South. Four years ago, Trump won 55% of the vote, matching his performance from 2016. Given the success Republicans have in the state, presidential candidates rarely spend time campaigning there. The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 8:01 p.m. ET.

Peyton Sickles

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Election Day went off nearly without any issues Tuesday, as county election officials now turn to ballot tabulation. The state has more than 2,600 polling sites cross its 100 counties, and only two will require an extension of time. At two precincts, one in Wilson County and one in Burke County, voting will be extended until 8 p.m.

The state board of elections noted that it's not unusual to extend voting times if there were small hang-ups throughout the day.

According to the N.C. Board of Elections, In Elm City, voting was delayed this morning due to a temporary printer connection issue that led to poll workers not being able to print "authorization to vote" forms for voters to check in to vote. In Pilot Mountain, voting was delayed this morning due to the temporary inability to boot up a laptop with the official pollbook used for checking in voters.

The State Board will not publish unofficial results in Burke or Wilson counties until voting ends for these polling places. Results will be reported starting at 7:30 p.m. in the other 98 counties.

As results start coming in, patience is needed. It takes a while to accurately count millions of ballots which each have many different races to track. Election officials will always stress that the results that are reported on election night are unofficial and that it is media organizations who are calling races.

NPR , and the AP has a long track record of accuracy. Here鈥檚 more on . The single biggest factor in a race call is how close a contest is.

To track unofficial results, head over to the 吉彩网网站 state results page here.

Abigail Celoria

As voters walked up to Morehead Montessori Magnet School this afternoon, DJ JamxliVe greeted them from his sidewalk setup with soft R&B tunes.

Jamari Cortez鈥攕tage name 鈥攊s a Durham local and part-time DJ. He's part of a national, nonpartisan initiative called , which aims to make Election Day feel like a celebration.

"What really motivated me to sign for the program was because I feel like this is a really important election year," said Cortez. "And I feel like a little bit of music really helps people wake up early in the morning, or even take off work if they need to to go out and exercise their right to vote."

Cortez is no stranger to traveling for DJ events鈥攖he farthest he's gone this year is Jamaica. The fact that he could be part of an initiative in his own backyard excited him.

"I hope that people feel just great about showing up voting, and I hope that it motivates other people to continue, not only voting today, but in the future," he said of DJs at the Polls. "Hopefully, they have a great time today, and for the next cycle or the next poll out there, we can just keep this going."

This year, DJs at the Polls is performing at 1,420 polling sites across the state. Like Cortez, many of the 700 DJs signed up for multiple sets throughout Election Day. Cortez will appear at three locations in Durham by the time voting ends.

"Somebody told me that usually they have a morning coffee, but they weren't able to get it this morning, but the music was the coffee for them this morning," he said of his morning set.

Cortez will DJ at Club Boulevard Humanities Magnet School until 7:30 p.m., when voting closes.

Celeste Gracia

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Election Day is in full swing at John Chavis Memorial Park near downtown Raleigh.

As voters walk up to cast their ballot, they鈥檙e greeted with a DJ blasting music, volunteers handing out campaign flyers, and organizations giving away free food.

Lamair Bryan, 32, is with Advance Carolina, a Black-led organization 鈥渨ith the mission of building Black political power.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e making sure that we can be a positive resource to our community,鈥� Bryan said.

Bryan added that Advance Carolina has election protection workers at polls throughout the state.

Meanwhile, 28-year-old voter Robert Harris said he鈥檚 been paying most attention to the presidential election.

鈥淚 think that the race does seem like it鈥檚 going to be pretty close, but I feel like the candidate that I voted for has a really good chance,鈥� Harris said.

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Nathan White, 61, said it鈥檚 been 鈥渟low and steady," at the Durham voting location at White Rock Baptist Church, "but maybe 50-60 people so far but could potentially pick up in the evening after work.鈥�

Peyton Sickles / For 吉彩网网站

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Mary Walker (left), 85, of Wake Forest, and Joan Footman, 64, of Wake Forest, are 鈥減eacekeepers,鈥� at the White Rock Baptist Church in Durham 鈥� a role in which they aim to deescalate situations on Election Day if needed through communication and calm approaches.

Peyton Sickles / For 吉彩网网站

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Voters arrive at White Rock Baptist Church in Durham on Nov. 5, 2024, to cast their ballots in the election.

Peyton Sickles / For 吉彩网网站

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Mary Walker (left), 85, of Wake Forest, and Joan Footman, 64, of Wake Forest, are 鈥減eacekeepers,鈥� at the White Rock Baptist Church in Durham 鈥� a role in which they aim to deescalate situations on Election Day if needed through communication and calm approaches.

Peyton Sickles / For 吉彩网网站

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Voting signs are situated outside of White Rock Baptist Church in Durham on Nov. 5, 2024.

Peyton Sickles / For 吉彩网网站

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Matt McAllister, 24, is a Duke employee who had the day off and came to vote at White Rock Baptist Church in Durham. 鈥淚 feel like it鈥檚 not right and wrong exactly but it鈥檚 either or," he said. "You either want a person who鈥檚 more corrupt or less. I don鈥檛 want (Donald) Trump back in office. I don鈥檛 get how you run for president and you鈥檙e a felon or a pedophile. We couldn鈥檛 do that. But just because he鈥檚 who he is as a person with money or whatever, he can somehow.鈥�

Peyton Sickles / For 吉彩网网站

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Nathan White, 61, assists a curbside voter with their ballot at White Rock Baptist Church in Durham on Nov. 5, 2024.

Peyton Sickles / For 吉彩网网站

Photos by freelance photographer Peyton Sickles for 吉彩网网站.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump entered Election Day focused on seven swing states, five of them carried by Trump in 2016 before flipping to Biden in 2020: the 鈥渂lue wall鈥� of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin as well as Arizona and Georgia. Nevada and North Carolina, which Democrats and Republicans respectively carried in the last two elections, also were closely contested.

Harris, the Democratic vice president, did phone interviews with radio stations in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada. She stands to be the first female president if elected and has promised to work across the aisle to tackle economic worries and other issues without radically departing from the course set by President Joe Biden.

Tommy Ray Brewer, a 72-year-old auto mechanic, voted for Trump in Black Mountain, North Carolina, which was hard-hit by Hurricane Helene.

鈥淧eople are really divided right now. They鈥檙e mad. They're angry because of the situation that the United States is in," Brewer said. 鈥淚 have heard people say we鈥檙e in the best shape we鈥檝e ever been in. But I say, 鈥榟ave you been to the grocery store, have you been to the gas station?鈥欌��

The closeness of the race and the number of states in play raised the likelihood that, once again, a victor might not be known on election night.

George Walker IV

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AP

In the first four hours after polls opened, more than 11,000 people cast their ballots in Buncombe County, N.C. 鈥� one of the communities hard hit by Hurricane Helene in late September.

Although the county is still recovering, 80 polling sites were up and running at 6:30 a.m., staffed by some 500 poll workers.

鈥淓lections don鈥檛 happen without the help of people dedicating their day to be poll workers,鈥� Buncombe County Board of Elections Services Director Corinne Duncan said.

The precinct at Liberty Baptist Church has had the highest voter turnout in the county with 383 people voting there before 10 a.m. At the Pisgah Elementary precinct, 328 voters cast their ballots this morning.

Helene killed at least 30 people in Buncombe County and destroyed thousands of homes, leaving an estimated 12,000 residents unemployed.

North Carolina is a key swing state. Asheville, which is in Buncombe County, is a Democratic stronghold. But overall, most of the impacted counties are conservative and supported Trump by large margins in the 2020 election.

Buncombe County voters can check the .

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.

For Robert Muhlsteff, a Ballantyne-area resident who came out to vote at Messiah Lutheran Church on Providence Road, said it was his civic duty. But there were other things on his mind, as well.

鈥淚mmigration鈥檚 probably the top of my 鈥� the border 鈥� is probably the top of my concern. After that, I鈥檇 say cutting the fat in a lot of the spending that鈥檚 going on," Muhlsteff said.

Muhlsteff says he thinks Trump is stronger on those issues. And, as a former New Yorker himself, Muhlsteff says he鈥檚 familiar and comfortable with Trump鈥檚 persona.

Women鈥檚 rights and reproductive rights are one of the key issues driving voters to the polls today. But some voters are looking beyond the presidential race.

Outside of the polling place at William Davie Park, south Charlotte resident Rachel Rosenau said she supports Kamala Harris, but the presidential ticket isn鈥檛 what drove her to the polls.

鈥淥f course, the president is important, but I do feel like it鈥檚 the local and state government officials that are really important. So, I鈥檓 particularly interested in the Supreme Court today 鈥� keeping women鈥檚 rights going. Don鈥檛 want to lose those," she said.

She鈥檚 hoping to reelect Democrat Allison Riggs for the state Supreme Court and is also backing Democrat Jeff Jackson for attorney general.

Even with her focus on local races, Rosenau was excited to vote for Kamala Harris, casting a historic vote for a woman president.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity to vote for a woman for the president. I think that would be a historical choice," she said.

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Lots of people choose to vote on Election Day for many different reasons.

For Nadine Johnson, a self-described stay-at-home mom who lives in Mebane, it was to set an example for her kids.

鈥淚 wanted to bring my kids so that they can know that they're the future and these decisions are in our hands,鈥� Johnson told 吉彩网网站 outside of a voting location in Efland.

Johnson has a son who is 12 and a daughter who is 13.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a teaching moment,鈥� Johnson says. 鈥淚 just want them to see me being proactive鈥� We just need some change. There's things going on in the world that have been affecting our families, cost of food, cost of housing.鈥�

Tajah Walston, a manager of a Victoria鈥檚 Secret, came out to vote in Efland for a different reason.

鈥淏eing young and Black, my ancestors before me walked so that we can vote, so that鈥檚 why I came out,鈥� Walston says. 鈥淎nd also, the first Black female president 鈥� I want to be a part of that history.鈥�

At Lynn Road Elementary School in Raleigh, there鈥檚 a steady stream of voters. One voter, Noelle Davis, 37, recently moved to Raleigh from Greensboro.

Davis said she was excited to cast her ballot in Wake County and she feels like her vote is very important, especially in a swing state like North Carolina.

In the parking lot, DJ Jimmie V is playing music as part of "DJ鈥檚 At The Polls," a national non-profit focused on increasing voter engagement. He said he鈥檚 excited to celebrate democracy, regardless of which candidates win.

Jay Price

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吉彩网网站 caught up with these folks as they walked in and out of a voting precinct in Swepsonville on Tuesday morning:

• George Blanchard, a retired railroad worker for Norfolk Southern: 鈥淚t鈥檚 our belief. You got to protect your country. That鈥檚 it.鈥�
• Gordon Christen, a preacher: 鈥淭o be honest, it鈥檚 nice to feel like you have a say in something. I think that it鈥檚 important to do what you can. My feeling, at least, is that a lot of the world feels out of our control. And so, doing something 鈥� and I think it does make a difference and I think the choices are important 鈥� but鈥� It feels nice to be part of something. The voices of normal people don鈥檛 have as much power as they should normally.鈥�
• Kyle McIntyre, a small business owner: 鈥淚 think this country is at a, at a crossroads and we need to, we get things together, you know, we need to get some common sense back in our government and,, I think it's a big deal.鈥�
• Darnell Winstead, a truck driver: 鈥淚t makes a difference. So, if you don't take your privilege or opportunity to vote, then, you know, if things don't go your way or things that are happening in the government that you don't like, then, you know, you have no voice. So, my family always told me in order for your voice to count, you have to get out and vote. It鈥檚 like that every election.鈥�
• Melissa Ward, yoga instructor: 鈥淚 think as a citizen, we all want the best for our country. And voting is just an opportunity to have our voices heard.鈥�

Mitchell Northam

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If you follow any players from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill鈥檚 women鈥檚 basketball team on Instagram, of Lexi Donarski, Alyssa Ustby, Blanca Thomas and others talking about the importance of voting.

The videos are the product of a Name, Image and Likeness partnership with , which bills itself as 鈥渁 nonprofit organization that creates award-winning programming focused on integrating nonpartisan civic engagement and voter participation into college athletics.鈥� This is the first presidential election of the NIL era, and college athletes are parlaying their platforms into paydays from advocacy groups like The Team.

In most cases 鈥� like with the Tar Heels 鈥� athletes aren鈥檛 endorsing candidates, but simply encouraging voter turnout.

Joe Kennedy, the executive director for The Team, it prepped 27 college athletes in key states like Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Arizona and Michigan to lead volunteer voter participation opportunities for students. Andra Gillespie, an associate professor at Emory University who teaches African American politics, told the AP that college athletes with big platforms 鈥� such as Ustby, an All-ACC First Team talent with north of 170,000 combined followers on her social media feeds 鈥� can be 鈥渂eneficial鈥� in driving voter turnout amongst their fans.

After the Tar Heels鈥� season-opening win on Monday, 83-53 over visiting Charleston Southern, sixth-year head coach Courtney Banghart said the videos were about more than just profiting from an NIL deal.

鈥淰oting matters,鈥� Banghart said. 鈥淵ou know, with Alyssa鈥� People are paying attention to what she鈥檚 doing, so she has an obligation to make sure that she moves with intention. There鈥檚 a (player) on our team (17-year-old freshman Lanie Grant) who is not even old enough to vote. These guys just know better. But people are following them, so this is a very important thing for them to use their voice, regardless of their politics鈥� I don鈥檛 think (NIL) was the driving force though.鈥�

Courtesy of Indian American Impact

South Asian advocacy groups reported Monday that 58% of South Asian registered voters in North Carolina have already voted in this election.

Indian American Impact and They See Blue 鈥� which represent South Asian Democrats and have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris 鈥� are hoping that their community will exceed its 2020 voter turnout rate, which was 70%. In North Carolina, there are approximately 58,000 registered South Asian voters.

Indian Americans make up the largest portion of North Carolina鈥檚 Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) population, followed by those identifying as Chinese and Filipino, . The AANHPI electorate is also the fastest growing in the state and nationwide 鈥� since the 2020 general election, the number of registered AANHPI voters has grown by 31%.

, 53% Asian American voters in 2024 are registered as unaffiliated, 29% as Democrat and 17% as Republican.

In late July, when Harris launched her presidential campaign, several Indian American voters told 吉彩网网站 that they were excited and determined to vote for the vice president. Some were excited about voting for a candidate who shares their cultural background, while others maintained that her approach to various policies mattered to them more than her racial and ethnic identity.

The reception to Harris among Indian Americans has been mixed, said Mona Singh, chair of They See Blue鈥檚 North Carolina chapter and a longtime organizer with the NC Democratic Party.

鈥淧eople who are Democrats are doubly excited that (she鈥檚) a woman and she has Indian roots,鈥� Singh recently told 吉彩网网站. 鈥淏ut there are also others who will argue that, 鈥極h, she鈥檚 Black and what鈥檚 Indian about her?鈥� Which is very odd, right? Because she grew up with an Indian mother. But I think there鈥檚 more excitement about her policies, about her being a positive person who can actually get things done that we want.鈥�

Meanwhile, members of has also appeared at polling locations in Wake County during this election season, supporting Donald Trump for president, Mark Robinson for governor and Michele Morrow for state superintendent. The group was co-founded by a team of Asian American conservatives across the country, including its Florida-based president Yukong Mike Zhao and Hannah Chan, a Cary-based real estate agent who founded the North Carolina Asian American Coalition. They advocate for , including securing the U.S.-Mexico Border, controlling inflation and preventing children from being exposed to LGBTQ materials in schools.

North Carolina has been in Republican hands in presidential elections for the better part of the last half century, with the exception of Barack Obama carrying the state during his first run. But a changing population means that the Republican Party's dominance is no longer a given: Rapid growth in the Research Triangle has yielded an increase in white, college-educated voters; a sharp rise in the Latino and Asian American population; and about 1-in-5 voters is Black. Since 2008, the state has been decided 鈥� on average 鈥� by less than 2 points.

NPR has published three stories recently where it spoke with voters in North Carolina...

North Carolina has 16 electoral votes.

Polls are now open across North Carolina.

More than a million voters are expected to cast their ballots across the state on Tuesday.

In Durham at White Rock Baptist Church, 34-year-old Kenny Brooks says he鈥檚 feeling cheerful.

"So, I have hope that, you know, it can just turn out good," Brooks said. "Hopefully. And so I鈥檓 excited. It鈥檚 a joyful day. No matter how it goes."

Mary Walker is volunteering as a peacekeeper at the poll.

"Just in case something needs to be calmed down," Walker said. "You know, if somebody needs an extra voice or somebody to support them. So, we're just here for support and peace and calmness."

The entire event lasted about 12 minutes. Just after midnight on Tuesday, in the small resort town of Dixville Notch, N.H., six registered voters entered a booth and cast their ballots, one by one. The ballots were immediately counted by officials out loud.

The results? Three votes for Kamala Harris and three for Donald Trump. A voting official recorded the final count with a marker on a poster board labeled 鈥淔irst in the Nation.鈥�

While it may be the first tally of the election, Dixville Notch has not always been an accurate predictor of the eventual winner or even New Hampshire's choice. In 2020, all five votes cast in Dixville Notch went to Joe Biden. In 2016, Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump 4-2.

To stay updated on New Hampshire and results throughout the country, visit , which will have throughout the day.

New Hanover County鈥檚 early voting numbers are in 鈥� 55% of registered voters either mailed in their ballots early or went in person to cast their votes during the 17 days of one-stop voting. This is slightly below the state turnout so far, at 57%.

In 2020, 64% of the county鈥檚 electorate turned out early, partly because of the pandemic restrictions. In 2016, it was 44%.

When looking at the turnout for the parties this election year, of the 104,266 county voters, about 27% were Democrats, 31% were Republicans, and the largest share was Unaffiliated voters, at 35%. In New Hanover County, Unaffiliated voters significantly outnumber both Republicans and Democrats.

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The number of early voters in Mecklenburg County is down by nearly 9% from 2020 during the pandemic. Like the state, more people voted early in person this year and fewer by absentee ballots. But the number of Latino voters in Mecklenburg County casting their ballots early was up.

In Mecklenburg County, 20,582 Hispanics cast their ballots early. That鈥檚 4.5% of early voters. Of those Hispanics who cast a ballot, 9,352 are registered as Democrat; 2,902 are registered as Republican; and 7,960 are registered as unaffiliated.

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North Carolina鈥檚 only toss-up congressional district could help Republicans keep the U.S. House or Democrats take control of it.

First-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis and GOP opponent Laurie Buckhout have been engaged in a fierce battle to win North Carolina鈥檚 1st Congressional District. It is one of the few competitive districts across the Southeast. The race has attracted millions of dollars from both parties. The district spans from Currituck County to a small portion of Granville County, in the northeastern part of the state.

The district's political landscape is a bit different for Davis compared to when he defeated Republican opponent Sandy Smith in 2022. Last year, the GOP-controlled state legislature added a handful of conservative-leaning counties to the district, making it less blue than it once was.

Davis was born and raised in Snow Hill and has held various political positions in the region, including as his hometown's mayor and a state senator. He also is a U.S. Air Force veteran.

Buckhout served in the U.S. Army for more than 25 years before retiring and starting a Virginia-based military technology consulting company. She sold the company and moved to Edenton a few years ago.

Both Davis and Buckhout have sought to tie each other to the unpopular policies or controversial behaviors of other candidates in their respective parties.

Buckhout's campaign has repeatedly tried to tie Davis with Vice President Kamala Harris' economic and immigration policies as a way to win over voters dissatisfied with the Biden-Harris administration. Davis voted with House Republicans in July to condemn Harris' work at the U.S.-Mexico border, then endorsed her presidential run a day later. He has also campaigned with her, speaking at one of her rallies in Greenville in October.

Democratic groups supporting Davis, meanwhile, have tried to draw connections between Buckhout and Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, whose gubernatorial campaign has been fighting back against a CNN report alleging that he made several graphic sexual and racist comments on an online pornography forum about a decade ago. Robinson has denied the claims, and The Associated Press has not independently verified them.

Those groups also have used photos in which Buckhout appears with Robinson to tie her to the lieutenant governor's shifting stance on abortion restrictions. Buckhout has previously said that she's focused on her own race rather than Robinson's.

Campaign Photos

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Every seat in North Carolina's legislature will be on the ballot in Tuesday's election, but the districts have been drawn to help ensure Republicans stay in the majority.

A handful of races could determine the balance of power in state government. Democrats are hoping to break the GOP's veto-proof majority in the House and Senate.

If Attorney General Josh Stein wins the governor's race, flipping a few seats currently held by Republicans would allow him to successfully veto conservative legislation. Several of the most competitive districts are in the northeast, where Republicans defeated Democratic incumbents two years ago.

One is in the Wilson area, where Democrat Dante Pittman says his campaign has been talking about the current GOP supermajority.

"One side has all of the power right now in state government and as a balanced state and as a balanced county, that's not what fits us," Pittman says.

Pittman's opponent is incumbent Republican Rep. Ken Fontenot. He says he's been able to secure millions of dollars in budget money for the area.

"What I think this community is looking at is results, which is refreshing," says Fontenot.

The candidates in this Wilson House race have sharp differences on some of the issues before the legislature next year.

Fontenot supported the state鈥檚 new 12-week abortion ban, and he says he鈥檇 like to see an even stricter law.

One wildcard is the down the ballot impact of the governor鈥檚 race. With Republican Mark Robinson trailing in the polls, Democrats running for the legislature are trying to tie their opponents to the embattled lieutenant governor.

But Senate leader Phil Berger says that doesn鈥檛 appear to have an impact.

"The polling that we have done does not indicate that there is any appreciable impact on the state Senate races from the situation with the lieutenant governor," Berger says.

Berger says he thinks Republicans have a good shot at keeping their veto-proof majorities.

Polls are open and state election officials expect more than a million North Carolina voters to turn out for Election Day.

More than 4.4 million voters have already cast in-person and absentee-by-mail ballots during North Carolina's early voting period.

Registered voters must go to their assigned polling places to cast ballots in-person. If they requested absentee-by-mail ballots it is too late to send those in by postal service. They may bring their completed ballots to their county board of elections office by 7:30 p.m. or discard the absentee ballot and vote in-person at their precinct.

State Elections Director Karen Brinson Bell says she knows the political climate is tense, but urges candidates to remember that election workers are members of the community.

"These are people who have sworn oaths, and this is a bipartisan effort to ensure that every eligible voter is able to cast their ballot," Brinson Bell says.

Polling places close at 7:30 p.m.

Brinson Bell says the bulk of results will be posted between 9 and 11 p.m. but nothing is final until after the 10-day, post-election audit process known as the county canvass.