On the evening of Nov. 5, voters around the country will tune in to reports of election results.
The process of counting votes and projecting a winner takes place over the night of Election Day and up to a few days after the election. Some results take longer than others. In 2020, Joe Biden was certified as president-elect three days after he was projected to win.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections provides a timeline for when voters can expect unofficial results to be tabulated in North Carolina.
The following timeline is what North Carolina voters can expect in the hours and days after polls close:
- 7:30 p.m.: Polls close.
- 7:30 p.m. to about 9 p.m.: Mail-in votes that have been approved by the county board of elections are reported on the Election Results Dashboard.
- 8 p.m. to about 9:30 p.m.: Early voting results are reported. Data refreshes every 5-10 minutes.
- 8 p.m. to about 9:30 p.m.: Precinct officials hand-deliver results to the county’s board of elections.
- 8:30 p.m. to about midnight: Precinct results are reported. Data refreshes every 5-10 minutes.
- After election night: Military and overseas absentee ballots that are received by the county board of elections by the return deadline, as well as provisional votes, will be added to the results as they are approved by each county’s board of elections during the canvass period after election night.
Voters can stay up to date with federal, state and county-wide election updates through The Appalachian’s website.
