A woman votes during the 2024 U.S. presidential election on Election Day, in Arden, North Carolina, U.S., November 5, 2024. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake / Reuters

Democrat Kamala Harris faced Republican Donald Trump on Nov. 5 in the U.S. presidential election, with the two candidates vying to attract support after staking positions on issues including abortion, the economy and foreign policy.

Following are preliminary results from an exit poll conducted by Edison Research. Results will be updated as additional poll responses are gathered.

* Harris wins 55 percent of women voters in North Carolina; Trump wins 43 percent. Trump's share is down 3 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Trump wins 61 percent of white voters in North Carolina; Harris wins 39 percent. Trump's share is down 5 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Harris wins 87 percent of Black voters in North Carolina; Trump wins 12 percent. Trump's share is up 5 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Trump wins 65 percent of white men voters in North Carolina; Harris wins 34 percent. Trump's share is down 4 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Harris wins 43 percent of white women voters in North Carolina; Trump wins 56 percent. Trump's share is down 8 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Trump wins 48 percent of voters age 18-29 in North Carolina; Harris wins 51 percent. Trump's share is up 8 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Harris wins 47 percent of voters age 65+ in North Carolina; Trump wins 52 percent. Trump's share is down 7 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Trump wins 52 percent of voters age 45+ in North Carolina; Harris wins 47 percent. Trump's share is down 3 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Harris wins 53 percent of voters under age 45 in North Carolina; Trump wins 45 percent. Trump's share is up 3 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Trump wins 56 percent of voters without a college degree in North Carolina; Harris wins 43 percent. Trump's share is up 1 percentage point from a 2020 exit poll.

* Harris wins 58 percent of voters with college degrees in North Carolina; Trump wins 41 percent. Trump's share is unchanged from a 2020 exit poll.

* 43 percent of voters in North Carolina said they had a favorable view of Trump, compared to 47 percent who said so in Edison Research's 2020 exit poll. 55 percent viewed him unfavorably, compared to 51 percent in 2020.

* 48 percent of voters in North Carolina said they had a favorable view of Harris, compared to 50 percent who said the same of Biden in Edison Research's 2020 exit poll. 50 percent viewed her unfavorably, compared to 47 percent who viewed Biden that way in 2020.

* 36 percent of voters in North Carolina said the economy mattered most in deciding how to vote in the presidential election. 12 percent said immigration, 13 percent abortion, 32 percent the state of democracy, 4 percent foreign policy.

* 46 percent of voters in North Carolina said their family's financial situation was worse off than it was four years ago, compared to 20 percent who said so in Edison Research's 2020 exit poll. 24 percent said they were better off than they were four years ago, compared to 45 percent in 2020. 29 percent said their financial situation was unchanged.

* 73 percent of voters in North Carolina said they think democracy in the U.S. is threatened. 25 percent said it is secure.

* 59 percent of voters in North Carolina said they didn't have college degree, compared to 64 percent in Edison Research's 2020 exit poll. 41 percent had a degree, compared to 36 percent in 2020.

* 53 percent of voters in North Carolina were women, compared to 56 percent in Edison Research's 2020 exit poll. 47 percent were men, compared to 44 percent in 2020.

* 69 percent of voters in North Carolina were white, compared to 65 percent in Edison Research's 2020 exit poll. 19 percent were Black, compared to 23 percent in 2020. 8 percent were Hispanic, compared to 5 percent in 2020.

* 34 percent of voters in North Carolina were white men, compared to 29 percent in Edison Research's 2020 exit poll. 35 percent were white women, compared to 36 percent in 2020.

* 8 percent of voters in North Carolina were Black men, compared to 9 percent in 2020. 11 percent were Black women, compared to 14 percent in 2020.

* 4 percent of voters in North Carolina were Hispanic men, compared to 3 percent in 2020. 4 percent were Hispanic women, compared to 3 percent in 2020.

Exit polling reflects just a slice of the tens of million of people who have voted, both before and on Election Day, and the preliminary results are subject to change through the course of the night as more people are surveyed.

National exit-poll results provide an important window into the thinking of the nation, but may not directly align with the seven battleground states expected to decide the presidential election.

Exit polls capture variations among turnout in various demographic groups, such as men vs women voters or college-educated vs non-college educated voters, and can provide insights into how turnout has changed from past elections.

One key advantage of exit polls is all the people surveyed, by definition, are people who cast ballots in this election.