Durham County Precinct Problems; Voting Hours May Be Extended

Across North Carolina there have been very few problems at the polls. The one exception to that rule is Durham County.

Voter electronic check-in systems went down in all 57 Durham precincts this morning. Election officials switched to paper rolls, causing some slowdown and longer lines.

In response, the Durham County Board of Elections wants to extend voting by 90 minutes, a decision the state must approve. The county has called in 60 additional employees to compile information needed for such a request.

In a tweet, the State Board says they'll meet at 6 p.m. via teleconference to consider any requests to extend hours.

Durham County's population is 39 percent black, and overwhelmingly (76 percent) Democrat. The president of the state chapter of the NAACP is asking voters not to be deterred from casting their ballots.

If voting hours are extended, the results of tight North Carolina races could be delayed.

[Ed.: This is a developing story and will be updated when WFDD has more information.]