Overview:
• Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• 15,678 voters cast ballots during early voting.
• Early voting results may take two to four hours to post Tuesday night.
Tuesday is Election Day for North Carolina’s primaries, and voters across Cumberland County will cast ballots in local and state races.
The N.C. State Board of Elections reported that 15,678 people participated in early voting, which ran February 12-28. That compares with 14,275 early in-person ballots cast in the 2022 statewide primary—an increase of about 10%.
Statewide, early voting has also been strong. According to Associated Press reporting based on state election data, more than 711,000 North Carolinians cast early ballots ahead of Tuesday’s primary, with Democratic ballot requests outpacing Republican ballot requests.
Here’s what you need to know if you are casting your vote today.
Where Can I Vote?
Polling places across Cumberland County are open for the primary election. Voters must cast ballots at their assigned precinct.
Who Is Allowed to Vote?
Registered voters in Cumberland County may participate in the primary election. Voters must vote at their designated precinct location.
When Can You Vote?
Election hours are 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Voters who are in line when the polls close at 7:30 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
What do Early Voting Numbers Look Like?
A total of 15,678 voters cast ballots during early voting. The busiest day was Saturday,, when 2,181 voters participated.
Linda Devore, chair of the Cumberland County Board of Elections, told CityView that officials expect overall turnout to reach between 35,000 and 40,000 voters by the end of Election Day. With 220,991 registered voters in the county, that’s an expected turnout of 16% to 18%.
When Will Results Be Available?
Devore said a state-required software upgrade to the county’s voting machines could delay the reporting of early voting results after polls close at 7:30 p.m.
During pre-election testing, officials discovered the upgrade slowed both ballot scanning and, more significantly, the end-of-day closeout and download process for the county’s tabulator machines.
“We learned during our logic and accuracy testing that the state-required software upgrade has slowed down the ballot scanning speed on our DS 200 machines,” Devore said. “More significantly, the closeout and download time at the end of the day is three to five times slower.”
Under state law, election officials can begin downloading early voting results at 7:30 p.m., but totals cannot be uploaded for public viewing until machines from all seven early voting sites are closed out and verified.
Because early voting machines processed approximately 15,000 ballots—including more than 4,500 at the Cliffdale Recreation Center alone—Devore said uploading those totals could take two to four hours.
“We hope it isn’t that long, but that’s a possibility,” Devore said.
Election Day precinct results are expected to be less affected, though Devore said the slower download speed could still delay how quickly results are received and posted.
“We would typically start getting our thumb drives back from the precincts around 8:30,” she said. “I’m thinking that it may not be quite as efficient this time.”
Are Recounts or Runoffs Possible?
Several local races are being closely watched, including the Democratic primaries for the sheriff’s race and four seats on the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners—two at-large seats and two District 1 seats. Five Democrats are in the District 1 primary—incumbent Glenn Adams, Sheila Cuffee, Garry “Moe” Murray, Terri Thomas, and Larry Wright Sr.
North Carolina requires a candidate in a multi-candidate primary to receive at least 30% of the vote to avoid a runoff—a threshold lowered from 40% about a decade ago.
While recounts are always possible in close contests, Devore said the likelihood of runoffs in the multi-seat county commission races and the sheriff’s race are slim due to the number of candidates and what’s needed to trigger a runoff.
“If there are at least two candidates in a race that reach the 30% threshold, then there is not any need for a runoff,” she said, adding that the candidate with the most votes wins.
Runoffs, if triggered, would take place on Mat 12.
Where Can You Find Results?
Election results can be viewed at ncsbe.gov after polls close.
