Latest: Polls close across most of NC

"We greatly appreciate the assistance of the North Carolina National Guard and all of our state and federal partners in monitoring our election infrastructure,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “Successful elections take a team effort, and they are integral members of our election security team."

The Department of Homeland Security identified election infrastructure as critical infrastructure after the 2016 election.

"We’re looking at everything that’s happening on the networks, and we’re identifying if there’s anything that should be there so we can go ahead and essentially stop it or prevent it from occurring in the first place,” team leader Capt. Alexander Reinwald said. “To us, a successful mission means that our state and county networks are protected from malicious activity and network disruptions so that we can maintain the integrity of the electoral process."

Precinct officials entered the wrong computer codes to start computers up Tuesday morning at all three Warren County precincts. Voting was extended by 25 minutes at the Arcola Volunteer Fire Department in Warrenton, 23 minutes at Vaughan Elementary School in Macon and by 30 minutes at Zion Methodist Church in Norlina.

The polling site at Flowes Store Volunteer Fire Station in Concord opened on time, but a computer malfunction halted voting for 39 minutes later in the morning.

In Sampson County, voters complained to state elections officials about problems at three precincts, which local officials disputed. Still, to guarantee that no voters were deprived the chance to cast a ballot, the state board agreed to extend voting at Halls Fire Station in Clinton by 40 minutes and at Sampson Community College by 21 minutes. They couldn't substantiate any disruption at Westbrook Community Building in Newton Grove and declined to extend voting there past 7:30 p.m.

The state board voted earlier in the afternoon to extend voting for four other precincts.

"DO NOT LISTEN to these robocall voicemails! They want to steal your vote. Don't let them. Today is your last chance to vote," Stein tweeted.

"We want every voter who is eligible and wants to vote and hasn't voted yet to go out there and cast their ballots," he said.

With more than 167,000 absentee-by-mail ballots accepted so far and more than 373,000 early voters, county elections director Gary Sims said it's by far a record turnout. In 2016, the county had about 75 percent of registered voters participate.

"There's no doubt we're going to go above that this year," Sims said, noting that the early and absentee voting have made Election Day voting smooth.

"Our next first lady," someone shouted as people gathered outside the site cheered.

"This is your campaign," Biden responded. "That's what's going to change, hopefully tonight – a new direction in America, a new leadership.

Police said Justin Dunn, 36, voted at the site Tuesday morning and then loitered around the parking lot. A precinct official asked him to leave at about 10:30 a.m. and barred him from returning to the site, saying he was intimidating other voters. Dunn was legally carrying an unconcealed gun at the time, police said.

Volunteers said several voters left the site when they saw him. Democratic 12th District Congresswoman Alma Adams, who was speaking at the precinct, was whisked away from the area, and Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles also left, Charlotte Agenda tweeted.

About two hours later, police were called to the polling place because Dunn had returned. He was arrested and charged with trespassing.

Voting will go until 8:15 p.m. at Plainview Fire Station near Dunn and until 7:54 p.m. at Sampson County Adult Daycare in Clinton. Voting was extended until 8:04 p.m. at Bluford Elementary School in Greensboro and until 7:47 p.m. at First Missionary Baptist Church in Concord.

Both Sampson County precincts had printer difficulties, preventing them from providing voters with verification forms, officials said, Precinct officials at the Plainview Fire Station tried to fix the problem themselves instead of calling county officials for help, delaying the opening even longer, county officials said.

The Cabarrus County precinct also experienced computer problems, while the delay in Guilford County was a human one. Officials said the chief judge of the Bluford Elementary site didn't arrive until 6:25 a,m. and then went through a "very deliberative" process of getting the poll opened, delaying it for more than half an hour.

All four extension decisions were on a 3-2 party-line vote. Republican members Stacy "Four" Eggers and Tommy Tucker argued that few, if any, voters were inconvenienced by the delays, so long extensions were unnecessary.

Because state policy calls for no election results to be released until all polls are closed, no North Carolina vote totals will be released before 8:15 p.m.

"I'm staying focused on the issues that North Carolina voters are bringing to me," Cunningham said.

Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis made a similar stop at a polling place in his hometown of Cornelius.

"He's bad. I don't want him," she said. "This is the first time I've ever voted in my life, and it was to get him out of office."

Hernandez said her ballot was all blue.

State election officials will meet at 1 p.m. to discuss whether or not to extend the voting hours of these three polling sites.

Although "minor issues are going to happen," Bell said 4.6 million ballots have been cast with few reports of problems or voter intimidation in the state.

A total of 2,663 polling places are open on Tuesday in North Carolina, and 62% of registered voters have already cast their ballots in the 2020 election.

"We want to run up the score for President Trump because we want to deliver on the promises he has made to this country," Guilfoyle said, "and really get that economic engine roaring back again for the country."

Guilfoyle said that Election Day would be pivotal to make sure that North Carolina is red.

"We're looking forward to a big victory," she said.

There was a glitch at the Governor's Village polling site on Tuesday morning, where the printers and computer system were showing that voters who had just checked in had already voted. Election officials said there were no delays at the voting site.

Travis Fain, WRAL statehouse reporter, said that, if ballot tabulators are down, ballots are stored in a secure box at each polling site. Technical issues are normal on Election Day, he said.

Technical issues at the Southeast Raleigh High polling site have been resolved. There was an issue with the machine that collects ballots, according to officials.

Marshall said that this was one of the largest elections in his time he's voted in.

"This election is so important," High said. "I just, I wanted to be here. It didn't matter how cold or how early, I wanted to be here. First in line if I needed to, whatever. I just needed to make sure I was here to cast my vote."

The campaigning – the rallies, the debates, the image ads, the attack ads – is over. Even much of the voting is over. But Tuesday gives voters in North Carolina and the rest of the nation one final chance to have their voices heard in this year's elections.

Races from president, U.S. senator and governor down to county commissioners and school board members are on the ballot.

Polls are open statewide from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m., and anyone in line at that point will be allowed to vote.

"We are ready for Election Day in North Carolina," state elections director Karen Brinson Bell said.

WRAL voter guide: Learn about candidates, find out where to vote

Who is eligible for curbside voting?

Extra cleaning being done at the polls to limit the spread of the virus could slow voting and lead to longer lines.

Voters can take reference materials, such as a printed or online voter guide, into the voting booth, but they cannot call anyone while voting or take a photo of their ballot.

Report a problem at the polls

The U.S. Department of Justice plans to have poll watchers in Wake and Mecklenburg counties to monitor Election Day activities and ensure nobody's right to vote is infringed. Complaints can be filed online or by calling 800-253-3931.

State officials are eyeing a couple of records, including topping the 4.7 million people who voted in the 2016 election and the record 70 percent turnout from 2008. To hit the 70 percent mark, about 585,000 people would need to vote on Tuesday.

According to the State Board of Elections, about 139,900 absentee ballots of the nearly 1.1 million requested are still outstanding.

More than results: On Election Day 2020, WRAL is at the polls, with the candidates and explaining what the outcomes mean to you

Brinson Bell said Monday that the absentee ballots that haven't come in yet and provisional ballots will be the only votes not counted on Tuesday night in North Carolina. Between Election Day voting, early voting and the more than 950,000 absentee ballots already turned in, she estimated 97 percent of the state's vote totals will be released late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

"Our primary objective will be accuracy [of the vote count] more than speed." she said.

She noted that, after polls close, poll workers need to sanitize the site and then drive the results from their precinct to the county elections office, where they are then uploaded to the state elections website.

After you vote, here's how an election works

"We will be as efficient as we can, but again, our focus will be on accuracy," she said. "We may be late into the night, but we will be as expeditious as we can"

Even with the small percentage of votes remaining uncounted after election night, all results remain unofficial until the state canvass on Nov. 24. That gives counties 10 days after the Nov. 12 deadline for mailed absentee ballots to handle any recounts and finalize tallies in every race.