RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The Latest on primary voting in North Carolina (all times local):
7:30 p.m.
Primary election polls have closed across North Carolina, but two voting sites are staying open a little longer.
North Carolina law directed that nearly all of the 2,700 precincts close at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, but the state elections board directed single sites in Robeson and Hoke counties to remain open.
The state board voted in an emergency meeting to keep a Robeson County site located at a fire department open until 8:15 p.m. Election officials say there was a vehicle accident in front of the fire house around 6 p.m., delaying traffic and preventing voters from parking in the fire department lot.
Board members earlier Tuesday agreed to extend the closing time at a Hoke County site by 15 minutes because the precinct opened late Tuesday morning.
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6:20 p.m.
One precinct in a North Carolina county will continue to accept voters briefly past the statewide closing time for the polls after the location failed to open its doors on time for the primary.
The state elections board voted late Tuesday to extend voting hours at the Hoke County precinct until 7:45 p.m. Polls statewide close at 7:30 p.m. Election officials told the state board the poll location opened 45 minutes late Tuesday morning and two people left after they arrived during the delay to attempt to vote.
The state board declined to extend time at a Franklin County precinct located at an elementary school that was locked down briefly because of a nearby shooting.
State elections director Kim Strach said problems involving electronic poll books and unaffiliated voters at four Halifax County precincts Tuesday morning were quickly resolved.
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3:45 p.m.
Voters are getting a chance again to choose between two candidates in a North Carolina Congressional District.
Incumbent Republican Robert Pittenger is being challenged for the nomination in his bid for a fourth term by the Rev. Mark Harris.
Pittenger beat Harris by 134 votes in the 2016 GOP primary in the 9th Congressional District which includes parts of Charlotte and its suburbs, along with poor counties and areas close to Fort Bragg.
Seventy-four-year-old Joe Jones says he is voting for Pittenger because he thought the congressman would more consistently support President Donald Trump than Harris would.
Ancil Overbey, the 62-year-old CEO of a Gaston County crisis pregnancy center, sat at the precinct to help steer voters to Harris although he wasn’t eligible to vote. He said Harris’ integrity was a key factor in earning his support.
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6:40 a.m.
Polls have opened in North Carolina as voters choose their parties’ nominees for dozens of legislative and congressman primary races.
More than 35 General Assembly members and eight congressional incumbents are trying to advance through Tuesday’s primary elections.
Current Congressmen seeking re-election include House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows and Rep. Patrick McHenry, the chief deputy whip in the House.
Among the Republican incumbents facing the most serious challenges in Tuesday’s voting are be Reps. Robert Pittenger of Charlotte and Walter Jones of Farmville.
About 4 percent of the state’s nearly 7 million registered voters had cast ballots before Tuesday’s voting through either early in-person or traditional absentee voting.
There are no statewide races this year, meaning some people might have no one to vote for until the November general elections.
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11:35 p.m.
North Carolina voters are choosing their parties’ nominees in dozens of legislative and congressional primary races congested with contestants.
More than 35 current General Assembly members and eight congressional incumbents are trying to advance through Tuesday’s primary elections.
Sitting members of Congress seeking re-election include House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows and Rep. Patrick McHenry, the chief deputy whip in the House. The most threatened GOP incumbents may be Reps. Robert Pittenger of Charlotte and Walter Jones of Farmville.
A little over 4 percent of the state’s 6.9 million registered voters cast ballots before Tuesday through early in-person or traditional absentee voting. Some registrants had no primaries in which to vote because there are no statewide races on Tuesday’s ballot.
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