GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — It’s Election Day, and voters hit the polls in Eastern North Carolina, around the state and country.
Polls opened at 6:30 a.m. here and around North Carolina. They closed at 7:30 p.m. After that, the count begins to determine the winners in the respective races on the ballot.
Helpful links
NC State Board of Elections results
10 things to know on Election Day | Where to vote | Sample ballot
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12:24 a.m.
The Republicans in the North Carolina House didn’t quite make it to the supermajority that they wanted on Election Day — but they did in the Senate. Click here to read more.
12:03 a.m.
Ted Budd, a gun-shop owner from Advance who has represented the 13th Congressional District since 2016, overcame the big dollar advantage of Democrat Cheri Beasley and will be North Carolina’s new senator. NewsNation called the race at about 11:30 p.m.
11:45 p.m.
The balance of power on the North Carolina Supreme Court has completed its shift. Republicans claimed a 5-2 majority on the court Tuesday by sweeping both open positions and will have majority control for the first time since the court was made partisan by the General Assembly in 2016.
10:59 p.m.
Don Davis has declared victory in the US District 1 Congressional race. Davis outpaced Republican Sandy Smith for the seat currently held by G.K. Butterfield, who has announced he will retire.
In a statement, Davis said, “I ran for Congress because I know what eastern North Carolina families face. We’ve often felt left behind or, worse, forgotten. I’ve spent my career serving the people of eastern North Carolina, and I am honored and humbled that voters have put their trust in me again. My top priority is fighting for eastern North Carolina and rural America, ensuring we are not forgotten and finally get our fair share. As your Congressman, I will work to that end each day.”
10:55 p.m.
Election coverage continues on WNCT. We’ll have the latest on local and state races and will have more on the race for US Senate. Nexstar sister station WJZY has called the race for Ted Budd just before 11 p.m. Click here to get the latest results.
10:22 p.m.
We have the latest election coverage here from WNCT’s 10 p.m. newscast on the CW.
9:36 p.m.
The U.S. Senate race has now swung in Ted Budd’s favor with him leading Cheri Beasley with 63% of the precincts reporting, 50.4% to 47.5%.
9:19 p.m.
With all 18 precincts reporting, Tim Reeder has beaten incumbent Brian Farkas in the NC House District 9 race. Reeder had 15,069 votes while Farkas had 14,607 votes.
8:56 p.m.
As the first polls in the U.S. start to close Tuesday night, Americans will be getting early glimpses of what Congress may look like going into the next two years.
8:40 p.m.
Greg Murphy has won re-election to the US House of Representatives while Ronnie Ingram has lost in his race to remain sheriff in Lenoir County.
In a statement, Murphy talked about Tuesday’s win.
“Tonight’s victory is a tremendous win for Eastern North Carolina,” said Rep. Greg Murphy, M.D. “Our community has spoken, and delivered a strong repudiation of the Progressive Left’s and President Biden’s Socialist agenda. They have crippled our economy, weakened both our domestic and national security as well as devastated our children’s educational future. The election results were a resounding statement that North Carolina, especially eastern North Carolina, is ready to take back this nation and turn things around. I am so thankful for the Third District’s continued trust in me, and I look forward to delivering strong results for the American people in our new Republican majority.”
Click here to get the latest results.
8:25 p.m.
Turns out not everyone will be following election returns. WNCT’s Ryan Harper and Shannon Baker spoke to residents on what they would be doing during Election Night.
8:16 p.m.
Early results show Cheri Beasley leading Ted Budd in the US Senate race. Don Davis also has a lead on Sandy Smith in the US House of Representatives District 1 race. Incumbent Greg Murphy is comfortably ahead of Barbara Gaskins in the US House District 2 race. You can find updated results here.
7:30 p.m.
Most of the polls in North Carolina are now closed. Election returns are being tabulated and submitted to county and state election boards. All returns are unofficial and will be certified after the election.
6:30 p.m.
Polls close for most of Eastern North Carolina at 7:30 p.m. except for locations in Wilson and Craven counties that will remain open for various reasons. The locations in Wilson, Robeson and Columbus counties will stay open until 8:30 p.m. while the River Bend location will remain open until 7:55 p.m.
We had team coverage of the elections during our 6 p.m. newscast. We’ll have more on the races and the outcomes throughout the night.
6:17 p.m.
Nexstar’s WNCN reports the State Board of Elections met and would keep the River Bend precinct in Craven County open because they ran out of ballots. The polls will stay open there until 7:55 p.m., the board ruled at 6:10 p.m.
5:15 p.m.
WNCT is covering all angles of Election Day with reporters in the field covering the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, state and local races. Here is our 5 p.m. report.
5 p.m.
Polls will close at 7:30 for almost all of North Carolina. The polls will remain open until 8:30 p.m. in Wilson, Robeson and Columbus County after issues popped up. The NC Board of Elections also said there were 15 cases during early voting of voter intimidation they were investigating. No cases had been reported as of Tuesday morning.
4:16 p.m.
Central to Democrats’ fight to fend off a red wave in the U.S. House is North Carolina, home to multiple districts with a slight political lean and one high-profile swing district that analysts have called a national bellwether for partisan control of Congress. Click here to read more.
4:09 p.m.
North Carolina Republicans aimed for super-sized control of the legislature for the next two years in Tuesday’s election, while Democrats led by Gov. Roy Cooper sought to retain enough seats to keep his vetoes potent on issues such as abortion. Click here to read more.
3:31 p.m.
North Carolina Democrats campaigned for history while Republicans sought to extend a winning streak for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, as Cheri Beasley and Ted Budd competed to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Richard Burr. Click here to read more.
3:05 p.m.
NewsNation had an exclusive interview with former President Donald Trump. It was recorded Tuesday morning at Mar-a-Lago. Much more of the interview will be aired during tonight’s special show on NewsNation.
Election coverage starts at 6 p.m. on NewsNation, hosted by Chris Cuomo and Leland Vittert.
12:45 p.m.
Voters across Eastern North Carolina hit the polls with many locations seeing steady to somewhat busy activity in the number of voters who have cast their ballot.
WNCT’s Cheyenne Pagan was in Onslow County and reported steady numbers during WNCT News at Noon. She also reports voter activity has been pretty steady throughout the county.
As of 10 a.m. Tuesday, more than 5,000 people had voted in Onslow County. Officials were pleased with that number since there were over 21,000 people who voted early.
Officials saw an early morning and lunch rush and expect another one at the last minute, before polls close at 7:30 p.m.
“Thank everyone for voting,” said Onslow County Board of Elections Director Jason Dedmond. “And remember, today’s not a day you can register, you must be registered to vote today. So go to your home precinct, cast your vote, you have plenty of time.”
