Voters in North Carolina, a critical battleground state, head to polls for 2024 election

Voters across North Carolina today will decide who gets the state's 16 electoral votes and, potentially, who becomes America's next president.

Today is Election Day, with polls opening at 6:30 a.m. and closing at 7:30 p.m. Any voter in line at their assigned polling place at 7:30 p.m. should be allowed to vote, the State Board of Elections says. The busiest times are usually early morning and just before polls close, the state says.

People are not allowed to register and vote on Election Day — as they can during early voting. The registration deadline was October 11 for voters who plan to vote on Election Day.

People who have problems voting can contact their county's board of elections . In Mecklenburg County, the phone number is 704-336-2133. Democracy NC also offers a nonpartisan voter hotline for problems or other election questions at 888-687-8683. Readers can also email Observer reporters Joe Marusak or Catherine Muccigrosso at or if you see something newsworthy.

A majority of registered voters in Mecklenburg County and North Carolina already cast ballots — 4.45 million absentee and in-person ballots statewide and 460,567 in Mecklenburg County. The local number is lower than in 2020, but mail-in voting was much more popular in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

NC is key battleground state

To become president, a candidate needs to secure 270 votes from the Electoral College , and North Carolina is one of several states where vote margins are close enough to flip between parties. For voters, that means a flood of advertisements, political mail and candidate rallies.

The president and vice presidential nominees who receive a plurality of the state's votes will get its 16 Electoral College votes.

Republican former President Donald Trump held a rally every day in North Carolina from Saturday to Election Day, including two in the state Saturday. Harris last held a rally in North Carolina at Charlotte's PNC Pavillion on Saturday.

If a Democrat wins the state today, it would be the second time since Jimmy Carter in 1976. (Barack Obama won North Carolina in 2008.)

What's on my ballot?

Other races on voters' ballots today include governor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, other council of state races, judges, legislature and a swath of local elections in races such as county commissioner and school board. See your full ballot by clicking here to visit the State Board of Election's search tool.

All ballots in North Carolina will have a ballot referendum asking about citizen-only voting — a measure questioned partly because noncitizens already cannot vote. There will be three bond referendums on Charlotte ballots — hundreds of millions of dollars for transportation improvements, housing projects and neighborhood upgrades. Other cities and counties may also have local ballot measures.

VOTER GUIDE: Candidates from governor to soil and water conservation district answer our questions

Where to vote, voter ID

North Carolina registered voters must cast a ballot at their assigned polling location on Election Day — unlike early voting. People can find their precinct by using the state's voter lookup tool online.

A person who is in the right county but the wrong precinct "must be given the chance to vote a provisional ballot," according to Democracy NC . Provisional ballots are used when there are questions about a person's eligibility, and only about 40% were approved in 2020.

Voters should bring photo identification in order to vote. The following are acceptable IDs, according to the State Board of Elections:

The Mecklenburg County Board of Elections says it cannot make any more free voter IDs until after Election Day.

People without identification "will be allowed to vote" by filling out an exception form, the State Board of Elections said on its website. The vote will be a provisional ballot the county board of elections later needs to approve.

When to expect results

Polls close at 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, and results will populate the state's dashboard after that. A new law prohibits county boards from tabulating early votes before polls close. So, votes are unlikely to be posted immediately at 7:30 p.m.

Poll workers also have to transport election equipment to the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections. So, there is likely to be another delay between early votes reporting and precincts.

Nearly all votes will be counted on election night, but provisional ballots are among those that will be counted after Election Day.

Results won't become official until local boards conduct a canvass, the formal process that occurs 10 days after Election Day.