CHARLOTTE — Voters in North Carolina and South Carolina are making their voices heard for the 2026 midterm elections, and both states have seen a big increase in turnout.
Now, the question is who those voters are favoring between the Republican and Democratic parties. Two Senate seats are up for grabs, along with every U.S. House seat in the Carolinas, and there are plenty of eyes on how Carolinians will affect control of Congress.
Channel 9 Eyewitness News has crews following the latest updates and election results throughout the night. Scroll down for live updates.
Midterm Live Updates:
5:45 p.m. - South Carolina broke the record for votes in the gubernatorial election, the state announced Tuesday evening.
According to the South Carolina Elections Commission, 1,797,335 voted as of 4:30 p.m. That works out to a little over 53% of all registered voters, which is still just shy of the record percentage turnout of 54.6%, set in 2022.
5 p.m. - Polls are set to close at 7 p.m. in South Carolina and 7:30 p.m. in North Carolina. However, the North Carolina State Board of Elections extended voting due to technical issues at five precincts in four counties: Columbus, Hertford, Lenoir, and Wilson counties.
Due to the extension, we’re expecting to get our first round of election results in North Carolina around 8:15 p.m.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Roy Cooper brings campaign to Concord ahead of Election Day
- Michael Whatley visits Concord ahead of Election Day
- President Trump rallies in South Carolina ahead of midterms
- South Carolina Senate race heats up over campaign advertisement disputes
- Annie Andrews gains support from former rival governors in US Senate race
Channel 9 Reporters on the Ground
Here’s where our team of reporters is gathering information in North Carolina and South Carolina:
- Channel 9 Government Reporter Joe Bruno: In Raleigh to cover the U.S. Senate race in North Carolina between Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley
- Jonathan Lowe: In Gastonia to cover the Cooper/Whatley race.
- Channel 9 South Carolina Reporter Tina Terry: In Columbia to cover the U.S. Senate race in South Carolina between Sen. Darline Graham and Dr. Annie Andrews.
- Eli Brand: In Charleston to cover the Graham/Andrews race.
- Ken Lemon: In Columbia to cover the South Carolina Gubernatorial race between Alan Wilson and Jermaine Johnson.
- Evan Donovan: In the Channel 9 studio with breaking election updates and candidate speeches throughout the night. >> Click/tap this link for Channel 9’s Special Election Stream starting at 7:30 p.m. <<
Channel 9 has a complete list of the races, polling locations and the candidates in your area. Voters can search by county for everything they need to know in our Political Beat Candidate Guide.
National Balance of Power
Eyes are on Congressional races across the country as polls show many close races in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.
The Associated Press is tracking results from outside the Carolinas. Tap the map below for more updates.
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