2024 Election Day: Voters energize polling places across the Triangle

First-time and long-time voters are lining up Tuesday morning for Election Day.

While 57% of registered voters have already cast their ballots, millions more will still flock to the polls across North Carolina, including in Wake, Cumberland and Durham counties.

ABC11 caught up with Joseph Pike headed to the polling place at Cliffdale Recreation Center in Cumberland County.

"I'm feeling excited. Yes, I'm looking forward to it," he said. "I feel that if I don't, it could go one way or the other. I figure every vote is important."

ABC11 is tracking Election Day's turnout. There are more than 227,000 registered voters in Cumberland County.

We also caught up with another voter, Cherise Hawkins of Durham County. Why so early? She said she did not want to miss the opportunity to vote.

"I think it's very important for us to get out and vote and just have the right people in the right chairs and then right seats," Hawkins said.

Polling places will be open until 7:30 p.m.

"I think it's very important for us to get out and vote," Cherise Hawkins, a voter in Durham County, said.

The executive director of the State Board of Elections and their general counsel hosted a news conference on Tuesday.

Karen Brinson Bell said there were no major incidents to report from any polling locations across the state.

In the coming days, all 100 county boards of elections will count the presidential contest by hand on ballots from the chosen Election Day precincts, in-person early voting sites, or absentee-by-mail ballots.

Then, they will compare the totals with the results of the voting machine counts.

Polls close at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5. Any voter in line at that time will be allowed to vote, so voting may continue hours after 7:30 at certain polling locations.

A new North Carolina law makes it illegal to count in-person early votes before polls close Tuesday. However, by-mail absentee ballots received before Election Day can be tabulated.

That means the first election results reported by counties to the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBOE) will likely be by-mail absentee ballots. NCSBOE estimates there will be a 30-60 minute delay in getting the in-person early voting results submitted to the state.

At the end of the night, NCSBOE estimates 98 percent of all ballots cast will be reported publicly. The remaining ballots will then be tabulated over the following 10-day canvass period. That's the timeframe when the following type of ballots will be counted and added to the total:

• Absentee ballots received on Election Day.
• Provisional ballots cast early or on Election Day.
• Certain absentee ballots dropped off by voters in the 25 counties affected by Hurricane Helene.
• Military and overseas-citizen absentee ballots that arrive by mail at county board of elections offices from Election Day through 5 p.m. November 14.

Remember, all election results on or in the immediate days after Election Day are unofficial. In the days after the election, bipartisan election officials in all 100 counties will audit all of the results during the canvass period.

County boards will certify election results on November 15. The state board will certify the final results on November 26.

More details about how North Carolina counts votes and reports results.

There are some things you can do when going to cast your ballot -- and some you can't. Some are even against the law.

Know before you go. The State Board of Elections asked county boards of elections across the state for common voter questions, concerns, and misconceptions.

Here are 12 key things to know as you go to the polls.

Lines at voting sites. This is a presidential election, and millions of North Carolinians will cast ballots in 2024. There will be lines at certain times at early voting sites and Election Day polling places. Be prepared. Wear comfortable shoes, bring a chair if you have difficulty standing for long periods, pack water or snacks, and depending on the weather forecast, consider bringing an umbrella or handheld fan. You can also check your county board of elections' website to see if they have a wait time tracker for voting sites. Lines are typically longest at the beginning and end of the early voting period.

Photo ID. Many different types of photo IDs are accepted, including driver's licenses and passports. Find a complete list at BringItNC.gov. If you are older than 65 and your driver's license did not expire on your 65th birthday, you can use that to vote. You do not have to bring your voter registration card, but you should bring an acceptable form of ID. If you do not have one, you can get one for free from your county board of elections office, or fill out an exception form at your voting site explaining why you were unable to show ID.

Secure, auxiliary bin. Every ballot scanner, or tabulator, at voting sites has a secure, auxiliary bin attached to it. If there is a problem with a tabulator - power outage, ballot jam, etc. - voters will temporarily place their ballots in the bin instead of inserting them in the tabulator. When the issue with the tabulator is resolved, a bipartisan team of election officials will insert the ballots from the bin into the tabulator. Additionally, the county board of elections will ensure the total number of ballots cast matches the number of voters who checked in at the site. This ensures every ballot is accounted for and counted.

With hundreds of tabulators used across the state during early voting and thousands on Election Day, occasionally a tabulator can experience a problem. This is why the auxiliary bin exists, and it is the industry standard used to address these situations in jurisdictions across the country.

Can poll workers write on your ballot? In North Carolina, yes, poll workers can, and often do write on ballots. This is done for various reasons as required by law. Social media posts suggesting that writing on your ballot will invalidate it have been circulating for years, and they are false. For more information, see Fact: In NC, if an Election Worker Writes on Your Ballot, It Does Not Invalidate It.

Your ballot will count, even if you leave some contests blank. You do not have to make a selection in every contest on your ballot. If you skip contests, your votes will be counted in all other contests on your ballot. Leaving a contest blank will not invalidate your ballot.

Your ballot will count, regardless of voting method. The ballot of every eligible North Carolinian will be counted regardless of which voting method they choose - absentee, in-person early, or in-person on Election Day.

Can I take a selfie with my ballot? No. In North Carolina, it is illegal to take a selfie with your ballot or photograph your ballot. North Carolina law prohibits photographing or videotaping voted ballots. Voters may use their electronic devices in the voting booth to access candidate information, provided they don't use the devices to communicate with anyone or take photographs of their ballot or other voters. The NCSBOE encourages selfies with "I Voted" stickers at the voter selfie stations outside voting locations instead.

Spouses can vote in the same voting booth if both request to do so. This is not common, but the state law does allow spouses to choose to vote together in the same voting booth. Poll workers should not encourage this practice; but if both spouses agree to do so, it is permissible.

Inactive voters are still registered voters. If a person in "inactive" registration status shows up to vote, they will confirm their address with a poll worker, or update their address within that county, if necessary. They will also show photo ID as required by law.

Can I just vote through the drive-through?. Yes, kind of. Curbside voting is an option from your car for voters who are unable to enter the voting place without physical assistance, usually because of age or disability. It is not for voters who do not want to wait in line. Curbside voters must sign a sworn statement affirming that because of age or disability, they are unable to enter the voting place without assistance.

Poll worker duties. Poll workers are there to ensure voters can cast ballots securely and efficiently. They cannot discuss candidates or ballot items with voters.

Candidate information. Volunteers and supporters of particular candidates are allowed to pass out fliers and other information about candidates, provided they are outside the buffer zone, which should be marked at every voting site. If campaigners become too aggressive or are inside the buffer zone, voters should report that to an election official immediately.