WASHINGTON (Reuters) – North Carolina election officials said on Wednesday they did not expect vote totals reported by the state to change for more than a week, as the state remained undecided in both the U.S. presidential race and a Senate seat.
North Carolina has 15 electoral votes.
“With very few exceptions, North Carolina’s election results will not change until Nov. 12 or 13, when all mail-in ballots are received and counted by each county,” Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the state Board of Elections, told a news conference.
State officials have been processing some 5.5 million ballots, but there are 117,000 outstanding mail-in ballots – many of which may not have been cast – and an undetermined number of provisional ballots still in the mix.
As of Wednesday, Republican President Donald Trump led his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, in North Carolina by 50.1% to 48.7% that left the race too close to call.
In the Senate race, Republican Senator Thom Tillis declared victory on Tuesday evening, but Democrat Cal Cunningham has not conceded. Tillis’ lead of 48.7% to 46.9% is considered too slim to call the race.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
