Buncombe County elections board reconvenes to process ballots; results delayed until 8:30 p.m.

The Buncombe County Board of Elections reconvened at 7:30 p.m. on election night to resume ballot processing and tabulation, but officials said results would not be released until 8:30 p.m. because the State Board of Elections extended hours at a precinct in another county.

"The polls have officially closed," Director Duncan told the board, then warned: "Because a polling location is still voting, we cannot reveal results until they are done." She said the State Board met and allowed the other county's site to stay open until 8:30 p.m., a decision that delays public posting of statewide totals until that site finishes voting.

Why it matters: election officials said the pause preserves uniform statewide reporting and prevents partial disclosure while a precinct remains active. The board used the interval to complete routine closing procedures for absentee and early-voting equipment and to prepare the absentee abstract the…