#North Carolina’s election results delayed because of printer problems

The culprit? Faulty printers. Well, at least in part. 

Four precincts in the state have had issues throughout the day, leading the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) to extend poll closure deadlines in those areas. 

Two locations in Sampson County had problems with printers, which meant they could not provide voter verification forms to people, reported WRAL. Precinct officials at one location then reportedly tried to fix the problem themselves instead of calling county officials, which made the delay even longer. That location, Plainfield Fire Station, will now be open until 8:15 p.m. ET when polls were supposed to close at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

One additional location had problems with a computer while another had a human error of some sort. 

But, on a day filled with anxiety, don’t fret too much over the delay. It seems like we’ll eventually get the results just fine and there weren’t any big problems. The state won’t begin posting election results until all polls are closed, which means the entire state is on Plainfield Fire Station’s timeline. 

“With 2,660 polling sites, it is not unusual for minor issues to occur at polling sites that result in a brief disruption of voting,” the NCSBE said in a press released. “The State Board routinely meets to discuss the extension of hours when the need arises.”

Even in the year 2020, democracy is delayed by printers crapping out.