‘Slight’ voting delays reported in 4 counties

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – The Latest on Tuesday’s primary elections in North Carolina (all times local):

2:15 p.m.

Officials with the State Board of Elections say they’ve heard about slight delays at voting precincts in four counties.

Spokeswoman Jackie Hyland says the counties are Catawba, Cabarrus, Haywood and Rowan.

The board plans to hold an emergency public meeting by phone to consider extending closing times at precincts that opened more than 15 minutes late.

Board attorney Joshua Lawson said in a news release that the board will hold the meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. State law says the elections board can extend the hours of polling places that open more than 15 minutes late or have interruptions of more than 15 minutes after opening. The extension would equal the time that the opening was delayed or voting was interrupted.

Polling places are supposed to open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.

1:20 p.m.

The State Board of Elections will hold an emergency public meeting by phone to consider extending closing times at precincts that opened more than 15 minutes late.

Board attorney Joshua Lawson said in a news release that the board will hold the meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. State law says the elections board can extend the hours of polling places that open more than 15 minutes late or have interruptions of more than 15 minutes after opening. The extension would equal the time that the opening was delayed or voting was interrupted.

Polling places are supposed to open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.

To participate in the call: Dial 562-247-8422 (code: 652-007-024) or at http://bit.ly/1YVz55J.

12:20 p.m.

A spokeswoman for the North Carolina Board of Elections reports that turnout is brisk with few problems at polling places.

Spokeswoman Jackie Hyland says the board has received no reports of problems with the state’s new voter identification law. The law requires that voters show a photo identification before getting their ballot.

The law does allow for some exemptions for people who were unable to get a photo ID.

Hyland said lines were long at a one-stop voting location in Durham, where only provisional ballots can be cast on Election Day. She says voters were advised to vote at their precinct if they could cast a regular ballot.

8:30 a.m.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is backing away from a suggestion that he might cover legal costs for a supporter who was involved in an altercation with another person at a rally last week in North Carolina.

In a telephone interview Tuesday with ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Trump was asked about a series of violent incidents at his campaign events and repeated his statement that he doesn’t “condone violence.”

At the rally last week in Fayetteville, an older white Trump supporter was caught on video punching a younger African-American protester as police led the protester away. The supporter, 78-year-old John Franklin McGraw, was later charged with assault and disorderly conduct.

Trump suggested afterward that he might help the supporter, saying he’d asked his staff to look into it.

But he reversed field in Tuesday’s interview, saying, “I never said I was going to pay for fees.” Asked if it had appeared he was encouraging violence with his initial statement, Trump replied, “Well, maybe so. Maybe that’s why I wouldn’t do it.”

6:30 a.m.

The polls are now open across North Carolina for voters to choose primary election favorites for president, governor and U.S. Senate on down to legislative and county seats.

Registered voters Tuesday also get to decide whether the state should borrow $2 billion for construction projects for higher education and parks and for local governments to improve water and wastewater systems.

More than 700,000 people had already cast ballots before Tuesday. The 10-day in-person early-voting period ended Saturday.

This primary is two months earlier than usual because lawmakers wanted North Carolina to have more influence in choosing the president. There are no primary runoffs this year because the election schedule was getting complicated with congressional primary elections delayed until June.

The polls close at 7:30 p.m.

4:40 a.m.

North Carolina voters were excited about increased emphasis on the state because of an earlier presidential primary Tuesday combined with a dramatic race.

The state traditionally held its presidential primaries in May in past years, but legislative leaders decided in 2013 to move the date up.

Andy Taylor, a political science professor at N.C. State University, said the still-competitive nature of the primaries should increase voter turnout Tuesday in North Carolina.

The State Board of Elections says 684,500 people voted at early voting sites statewide before they closed Saturday afternoon, setting a record.

Although Florida and Ohio are seen as Tuesday’s biggest prizes, North Carolina also offers a hefty cache of delegates and has hosted numerous appearances by candidates and their surrogates.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)