WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In the middle of a pandemic, North Carolina is seeing a surge in interest in voting by mail.

So far, nearly 200,000 people have requested an absentee mail-in ballot. That is roughly eight times the number of requests at this point in the 2016 cycle, according to data compiled by Catawba College Prof. Michael Bitzer.

But an increased reliance on mail-in voting both in North Carolina and nationwide could end up reshaping what election night looks like in America, delaying key election results potentially for days.

“Many of the absentee ballots can actually be mailed on Nov. 3. In some states, we may see a close contest. So it may be two or three days before we know the result,” said Rep. GK Butterfield, D-1st District.

At the White House, that is not sitting well with President Donald Trump, who has railed against the possibility of having to wait to find out who will occupy the Oval Office.

At the same time, the president has encouraged voters in North Carolina as well as Florida, another battleground state, to cast their ballots by mail - the very voting method that could lead to him waiting a few extra days to find out who the victor is.

“Absentee ballots are great. Absentee voting is a secure process, it’s initiated by the voter. You request it,” he said during a tele-rally earlier this week.

So, what should be expected on election night in North Carolina?

A spokesman for the North Carolina State Board of Elections said they should be able to report a large chunk of the results that night, including a count of all in-person early votes, in-person day of votes, and mail-in votes that have arrived by Election Day.

However, that does not mean the winner will necessarily be known in all of the key matchups.

The reason: in North Carolina, mail-in ballots do not have to arrive by Election Day.

A mail-in ballot can still count so long as it is postmarked on or before Election Day and arrives no later than three days after the election. With polls forecasting some tight matchups in North Carolina - including the presidential and U.S. Senate contests - those remaining votes could be paramount in determining a winner.

In North Carolina, those who have already requested mail-in ballots will begin receiving them in early September. People can still request a mail-in ballot up until Oct. 27, a week before election day. No excuse is required to request a mail-in ballot.

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Because of reports of mail delivery delays nationally, the state board is recommending people put their ballot in the mail a week before election day at the latest, just to ensure they arrive in a timely manner.

Mail-in votes can also be delivered in person to the county board of elections office or an early voting location during the early voting period.

More information about mail-in voting in North Carolina can be found here.