Durham County's early-voting polls are going to be open until 3 p.m. Saturday, two hours longer than originally scheduled.

The county Board of Elections voted for the extension Tuesday, after the state board asked counties to consider longer hours. Their decision has no effect on other counties.

Elections Director Michael Perry said he preferred sticking with the original 1 p.m. closing to allow his staff plenty of time to prepare for Tuesday's polling, and Elections Board Member Bill Brian said he saw no compelling reason for adding hours on Saturday.

Board Chairwoman Carol Anderson, though, said the state could issue a last-minute order for local boards to keep voting open and it would be easier to go ahead with the extension. The board's third member, Dawn Baxton, said she had no objection to extra voting hours.

Legally, early voting could have been extended until 5 p.m. The 3 p.m. cutoff was a compromise, since extension required a unanimous vote.

Anyone in line to vote at 3 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot, though elections officials said that could keep poll workers occupied as long as an hour and a half after closing if last-day turnout is heavy. Voters have been coming early in record numbers this election.