Glitches keep some polls open late in North Carolina and Pennsylvania; bomb threat clears Toledo polling place

Some polling places in North Carolina and Pennsylvania will stay open past their normal closing times on Tuesday night. Officials say technical problems in the morning delayed or slowed voting there. In Ohio, a bomb threat emptied a Toledo polling place for close to two hours before police cleared it.

None of the problems reported so far have been described by officials as attacks on election systems. But the extensions have practical effects. In North Carolina, no county may release vote totals until every polling place in the state has closed. That means one late precinct can push back results for the whole state.

This report covers what officials and local news outlets had confirmed by mid-afternoon Eastern time. It does not report any results; polls were still open when it was written. For closing times in every state, see our guide to poll closing times and ballot deadlines.

North Carolina: an emergency meeting at 2 p.m.

North Carolina polls normally open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. The State Board of Elections held a remote meeting at 2 p.m. to consider keeping some sites open later. The board's public notice listed these polling places:

• South Williams precinct at the Tabor City Courthouse in Columbus County.
• North Sunbury Sub Station 2 in Corapeake, Gates County.
• Precinct K8 at the Holloway Recreation Center in Kinston, Lenoir County.
• Boone 2, at the Plemmons Student Union of Appalachian State University, Watauga County.
• Precinct 102 at the Boomer Fire Department, Wilkes County.
• Wells School and Vinson-Bynum Elementary School in Wilson.
• Several precincts in Hertford County.

The notice said more precincts could be considered as needed. The list grew during the day. At an 11 a.m. news conference, Executive Director Sam Hayes named four counties with delays: Hertford, Gates, Lenoir and Wilson, according to The NC Beat. Columbus, Watauga and Wilkes were added by the time the meeting began.

Hayes said such problems are normal. "During every election, minor disruptions arise such as power outages, tabulator issues, printer jams, longer lines than previously anticipated," he said, as quoted by The NC Beat from The News & Observer. "These are not indications of malicious activity."

Board spokesman Jason Tyson said the meeting is a normal part of Election Day, The NC Beat reported. He said it is called an "emergency" meeting only to meet public notice rules.

Two extensions confirmed

Two decisions had been reported by mid-afternoon.

In Columbus County, the board extended voting at the South Williams precinct in Tabor City by 45 minutes, to 8:15 p.m., WECT reported. The county's elections director told the station that the computer system at the courthouse went down for a time. Workers switched to an emergency backup system, and no voters were turned away, the director said.

In Lenoir County, the board voted unanimously to extend voting by 30 minutes at precinct K8, to 8 p.m., Neuse News reported. Printer problems had delayed voting there for about 45 minutes. Officials told the board that backup labels were on site but were not used.

Lenoir County Elections Director Kristie Smith told the board that two voters were first reported to have left without voting. She said one of them had already voted early on Friday. The other left because she had to get to work. "We do have her name," Smith said. "And I have contacted her, but she has not called back."

Hayes also described the other problems as "technical glitches," WECT reported. He cited a printer jam and confusion with electronic pollbooks. The station did not report decisions for the other counties on the agenda. The board planned a news briefing at 4 p.m. to update reporters.

What state law allows

North Carolina's rule is in G.S. 163-166.25. The law covers a polling place that opens more than 15 minutes late or stops voting for more than 15 minutes. In those cases, the State Board "may extend the closing time by an equal number of minutes." The board must be available on Election Day to approve such requests.

The law limits who can vote in the extra time. Anyone in line at 7:30 p.m. may vote. Anyone who votes after 7:30 p.m. under an extension must use a provisional ballot. Those ballots are kept apart from other provisional ballots. They are added to the count only if the order has not been reversed or stayed by the county canvass.

In practice, that means the Lenoir and Columbus voters in line by 7:30 p.m. will cast regular ballots. People who arrive after that, during the added time, will vote provisionally, according to WECT and Neuse News.

Why one site can delay a state

WECT reported that the Columbus extension means results will be delayed across North Carolina, because no county may release totals until all precincts are closed. The NC Beat said the board had warned that results could be pushed from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. if sites received extra time.

There is a recent example. In the March primary, the board gave one Halifax County precinct an extra hour. No unofficial results were posted statewide until 8:30 p.m., The NC Beat reported, citing the board's announcement at the time.

North Carolina has several closely watched races this year. For background on the state's politics, see our profile of Gov. Josh Stein and our U.S. elections hub.

Pennsylvania: three Chester County sites until 8:30 p.m.

In Pennsylvania, the Chester County Court of Common Pleas granted a 30-minute extension at three polling places. Machine setup problems had briefly delayed their opening Tuesday morning, the county said.

"These precincts will remain open and accessible to voters until 8:30pm; votes cast after 8:00pm will utilize provisional ballots," a county government Facebook post said, as quoted by WGAL. The sites are:

• Precinct 201 (Easttown 3), Easttown Township Library, Berwyn.
• Precinct 210 (Easttown 6), St. John's Presbyterian Church, Devon.
• Precinct 244 (East Goshen 2), Goshen Baptist Church, West Chester.

All other Chester County precincts close at 8 p.m. as usual. The ballot drop box at the Easttown library will also close at 8 p.m., The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Chester County is in the Philadelphia suburbs. For the state's competitive House races, see our preview of Pennsylvania's House battlegrounds.

The chart below shows the extra voting time confirmed so far at the sites named in this report. It does not include North Carolina sites where no decision had been reported.

Tabor City, Columbus Co., N.C.

45

Kinston K8, Lenoir Co., N.C.

30

Easttown 3, Chester Co., Pa.

30

Easttown 6, Chester Co., Pa.

30

East Goshen 2, Chester Co., Pa.

30

Source: WECT, Neuse News, WGAL, quoting Chester County

Show the numbers

Polling place	Minutes added
Tabor City, Columbus Co., N.C.	45
Kinston K8, Lenoir Co., N.C.	30
Easttown 3, Chester Co., Pa.	30
Easttown 6, Chester Co., Pa.	30
East Goshen 2, Chester Co., Pa.	30

Ohio: bomb threat at a Toledo polling place

In Toledo, police responded to a reported bomb threat at Beverly Elementary School at about 10:27 a.m., WTOL reported. The school was serving as a polling place. Toledo Public Schools students did not have class on Tuesday.

Voters and staff were evacuated while officers searched. An Election Protection poll monitor told WTOL that about 40 people stood outside during the sweep. Monitors collected names and phone numbers of people who were turned away, the monitor said.

Lucas County Board of Elections Director LaVera Scott said at first that more voting machines were being brought in so people could vote outside, 13abc reported. Police cleared the site at about 12:15 p.m., and voters went back inside.

A second Toledo school, Monac Elementary, was evacuated after a phone call suggesting a bomb threat. Police searched it and found nothing, its district said. Toledo police spokesman Sgt. Mohamad Nasser said at 1:30 p.m. that no explosives were found at either site. Both threats were deemed not credible, he said. It was not known whether the two were connected.

Other schools in the region also got threats, including two Bowling Green elementary schools, Lake Local Schools and Defiance City Schools, according to WTOL and 13abc. Bowling Green police called those calls a false "swatting" incident. WTOL said the Bowling Green and Lake Local buildings were not polling sites.

The Ohio Secretary of State's office said a bomb threat reported by a local board briefly disrupted voting at a single polling location. It said officials worked with local police to secure the site and safely resume voting, WTOL reported. WTOL said it had asked whether anyone would seek a court order to extend hours at Beverly Elementary. No such request had been reported by mid-afternoon.

Who decides, and the debate over court orders

The rules differ by state. In North Carolina, the State Board decides under a set formula. In Chester County, a county court granted a petition. In Wisconsin, a judge granted one in 2024 at a party's request, and that order is now before the state's top court.

That process is itself in dispute in Wisconsin. In September, the Wisconsin Supreme Court agreed to hear a case on whether county judges may extend polling hours, State Affairs reported. The case will not be decided before this election.

The case began in November 2024. A Walworth County judge ordered two Whitewater polling sites to reopen after long lines, at the request of the Democratic National Committee. Students at one site had waited up to five hours because they needed to update their registrations, the DNC said in its filing. In July, a state appeals court ruled unanimously that the judge acted improperly. In its published opinion, the court said that by setting one statewide closing time, the legislature "clearly chose finality, equality, uniformity, and certainty" over leeway left to "a single judge in one county."

The two national parties read the high court's order differently. A DNC spokesperson said it "makes clear that circuit judges can extend polling hours if necessary this November." The RNC pointed to the appeals ruling. RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said after that ruling that it "made clear that judges cannot change election rules on Election Day. Wisconsin's voting deadlines are set by law and must apply equally to every voter."

The DNC's argument centers on voters who lose time because of problems they did not cause. The RNC's centers on fixed deadlines that apply the same way to everyone. Those views, and North Carolina's formula approach, are summarized in the perspectives section below.

What to watch tonight

Several questions remained open in the afternoon:

• Whether the North Carolina board approved more extensions in Gates, Hertford, Watauga, Wilkes or Wilson counties, and how long they run.
• When North Carolina's first statewide results will appear. Under the Columbus decision, totals cannot be released before 8:15 p.m. at the earliest.
• How many provisional ballots are cast during extended hours. Those counts are usually reported later, during the canvass.
• Whether any request is made to extend hours in Toledo.

Earlier today we reported on a ballot scanner failure in Westchester County and flooding in Florida and Utah, and on Georgia turnout and Fulton County ballot rescans. We also covered the Justice Department's election monitors in 126 places. For how we source Election Day reports, see our methodology.

Differing perspectives

When should polling hours be extended after problems on Election Day?

Each position is summarized as its supporters make it, with equal weight and in alphabetical order. A summary is not an endorsement; the evidence for each is weighed in the story above.

• Keep one closing time set by law

  Who holds it: Wisconsin's 2nd District Court of Appeals, in a case where the Republican National Committee appealed

  The appeals court argued that a uniform statewide closing time treats voters in every area equally and supports public confidence in results. It said the legislature chose finality, equality, uniformity and certainty over leeway left to a single judge in one county. Long lines alone, it noted, have been held insufficient to justify longer hours.

  In their words: Wisconsin Court of Appeals, DNC v. Boehm (2026 WI App 44) ↗

• Let courts extend hours when voters lose time

  Who holds it: The Democratic National Committee

  The DNC argues that courts should have equitable power to keep polls open when problems such as long lines would otherwise cost people their vote. In its Wisconsin case, it pointed to students who waited up to five hours. It says it wants a ruling that ensures state courts can protect the constitutional right to vote in future elections.

  In their words: State Affairs (DNC statements) ↗

• Use a set formula run by election officials

  Who holds it: North Carolina's General Assembly, through state law, and the State Board of Elections that applies it

  North Carolina's law lets the State Board add time only when a site opened more than 15 minutes late or stopped voting that long, and only by an equal number of minutes. Votes cast in the added time are provisional and kept apart. Board officials describe such extensions as a routine response to minor disruptions.

  In their words: N.C. General Statutes § 163-166.25 ↗