After what feels like years of campaign commercials, mailboxes full of flyers and politically charged social media posts, election day finally arrived in North Carolina. By all accounts, it was as tumultuous an election season as the state has ever seen with the political division at the national level permeating debates and campaigns here in the Old North State.

In addition to the divisive nature of politics this year, the coronavirus pandemic added an unprecedented dynamic to the 2020 election season. Campaign events were either canceled or took on a different look and feel as candidates held smaller events and implemented social distancing. State and local elections officials scrambled to implement measures to protect public health while ensuring access to ballots.