2024 Election Day: Donald Trump projected to be next president by ABC News

ABC News projects that Donald Trump is elected as the 47th president of the United States.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections will start its post-election audit on Wednesday to make sure every vote counted was accurate.

The board of elections will randomly select precincts, early voting sites, and absentee-by-mail ballots to be counted by hand in every county. They will then compare the totals with the results of the voting machine counts. They use a multistep process using the generated seed number, input file and the code to generate a random sample of two groups of ballots for each county.

This is a process required by state law that can take several days.

The random selection will happen in the afternoon at the elections board office in Raleigh.

The public can watch it in person or online.

North Carolina has been one of the several swing states to watch as it shifted from a lean Republican to a toss-up state after Kamala Harris joined the presidential race.

The state and its 16 electoral votes play a major role in the presidential election. Both candidates spent much of their campaigns here.

As Election Day votes continue to trickle in, Trump leads Harris in North Carolina, 51% to 48%.

The North Carolina Republican Party gave this reaction:

"I'm not surprised," Karyn Mulligan, NCGOP vice chairwoman, said.

ABC11 asked what she thinks are key issues for North Carolinians, including unaffiliated voters.

"I think it was the economy. You know, we are not better off than we were four years ago," Mulligan said. "And I think that's what drove people to the polls."

North Carolina is also home to the country's most competitive gubernatorial race this year where State Attorney General Josh Stein is projected to defeat Lt. Governor Mark Robinson.

Democrats are projected to have won enough seats in the House to break the Republican supermajority in the state legislature.

That would restore meaningful veto power for incoming Democratic Gov. Josh Stein.

"Tonight marks a monumental shift in the balance of power in North Carolina and is a testament to the DLCC's work alongside many partners and allies to challenge unchecked Republican power in the state," said Heather Williams, Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee president. "Republicans have wielded their toxic supermajorities to enact an extreme agenda - including an egregious abortion ban that was wildly out of step. That unchecked GOP power ends today with Gov.-elect Josh Stein and an incoming Democratic caucus that can sustain his vetoes of extreme Republican overreach. Newly elected Democrats will play a key role in holding Republicans accountable as we work together to eventually overcome the egregious gerrymandering and other structural barriers to true representation in North Carolina."

Despite that shift in power, Republicans maintained a supermajority in the state Senate.

"I can confidently say Republicans will retain a supermajority in the Senate and will hold a strong majority in the House," said Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham. "I'm thankful for the men and women who put their names forward and ran for office. Senate Republicans had an incredible slate of candidates and they're going to represent their constituents well."

Berger said the results affirm voters' "faith in Republicans to guide the state."

"Our platform of low taxes, job creation, quality education, and educational freedom spoke to North Carolinians then. Now, the voters are returning Republican majorities to the legislature for the eighth consecutive election," Berger added. "Republicans in the General Assembly will continue to honor that platform and work tirelessly for all North Carolinians. As we prepare for the upcoming biennium, at the top of our minds is supporting western North Carolina as the recovery process continues."