N. Carolina elections office previews Election Day count

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s elections office is predicting that at the end of Election Day it will be able to tally and report at least 97% of all ballots cast.

The N.C. State Board of Elections said in a news release Sunday that it will post results as quickly as possible but that its primary objective will be an accurate count.

There’s a good chance Americans won’t know the winner of Tuesday’s presidential election when they go to bed that night. Many states have made it easier to request a mail ballot amid the coronavirus pandemic and concerns about crowded polling places. But mail ballots generally require more time to process than ballots that are cast in person.

In North Carolina, mail-in ballots are not due until Nov. 12 if postmarked by Election Day.

The state board is set to meet Nov. 24 to certify the final results.

North Carolina is a key battleground President Donald Trump needs to win to boost his prospects of defeating Democratic nominee Joe Biden.