North Carolina Exit Poll Results LIVE: The Grab for a Swing State

Impact

No one can be sure which way North Carolina will swing. Though traditionally red, Obama won the state's 15 electoral votes in 2008. But recent polls, suggest Romney may take the state this Tuesday with a 0.5% lead over the president. We'll know soon enough. Until then, I think it's fair to say North Carolina is up for grabs. 

Things to look out for:

The African American vote: Some attribute Obama's 2008 win to North Carolina's significant African American population. But with many dissatisfied with the president's performance these past years, there's no predicting the African American turnout. 

Virgil Goode: presidential candidate for the Constitution Party. He won't win the White House, but Goode is more conservative than Mitt Romney. Some NC hard-righters might prefer him over the former governor and split the vote.

Pat McCrory: next Republican governor of North Carolina. Polls show McCrory with a 15 point lead over Democratic Lt. Governor Walter Dalton. 

The Latino vote: They only make up 3% of eligible voters, but in North Carolina every vote counts. In 2008, Obama won North Carolina by the skin of his teeth: .3%. Though their voter turnout is highly unpredictable, Obama's stance on immigration has made him widely preferred over Romney. 

Redistricting: North Carolina's State House may be a bit more red this election. After significant redistricting in parts of the state, some Democrats simply dropped out of the race. 

PolicyMic will be covering the 2012 election from North Carolina live. For live updates, bookmark and refresh this page. 

UPDATES: 

11:04 PM North Carolina is called for Romney

Pundits are calling the North Carolina race for Mitt Romney with 51%. The difference in votes is less than 100,000.

10:44 PM The Final Breakdown

Though the polls haven't been totally calculated, here what the votes are looking like.

County by county

By Age

 

By Gender

10:28 PM Too close to call

10:05 PM 3 more counties

Romney is winning 51% to 48%.

9:29: Governor Race is called

Pat McCroy is the new Governor of North Carolina. 

9:25 PM: Still Too Close to Call

1,596,666 (R) vs. 1,533, 769 (D)

8:30 PM: The Gubernatorial and Key Senate Races

1. Pat McCroy is probably going to be the next Governor. With 47% of votes counted he's leading Democrat Walter Dalton 55% to 43%. I think the Dalton campaign is over. 

2. District 8: Too early to call - Hudson (R) leads Kissel (D) 58% to 42%. Kissel is the incumbent. Will we see the seat change hands?

3. District 7: McIntryre, the Democratic incumbent might serve a few more years in the Senate. He leads Rouzer 56% to 44%. Only 25% of the vote is in though. The night is young. 

8:26 PM: North Carolina Men are more Conservative than Women

Men in North Carolina are more likely to vote Republican. 

8:17 PM

The race will come down to a few thousand votes. 

8:15 PM

My cousin has something to say from Facebook. 

8:07 PM

23% in Romney is in the lead: 608,861 vs 585,558.

7:58 PM

Here's a county by county breakdown of what's been counted so far. 

7:53 PM 

With 15% of the vote in, Obama has a lead over Romney with 53% to 47%.

Nov. 6th 6:25 PM

Polls close at 7:30 for North Carolina voters. 2 million people are expected to have cast votes.

Nov. 5th 9:23 PM: One Million More Early Voters this election than the last

2.5 million early voters have cast their ballots as of Saturday, compared to 2.4 million in 2008. Most early voters are registered Democrats, but a New York Times Poll suggests that come Tuesday Romney will have the upper hand.