North Carolina Breaks Early Voting Record Amid Strong Turnout
North Carolina has set a new record for early voting, with the State Board of Elections announcing that more than 4.2 million voters participated in early in-person voting, surpassing the previous record set in 2020, The Associated Press reports.
This substantial turnout included notably higher participation in the state’s western counties, which were recently affected by Hurricane Helene.
The early voting period, which ended on Saturday, has gained popularity in the battleground state over recent election cycles, allowing voters to both register and cast their ballots simultaneously. By Thursday of last week, North Carolina had already exceeded the 2020 record of 3.63 million early voters, a total achieved across all 100 counties.
As of Sunday morning, including absentee ballots, a total of 4,465,548 voters—representing 57% of the state’s 7.8 million registered voters—had participated in the general election. Officials noted that this figure might still increase due to a delay in data reporting.
The turnout in 25 western counties impacted by Hurricane Helene was particularly strong, reaching 58.9%, approximately 2% higher than the overall statewide turnout.
This year’s robust early voting numbers can be attributed in part to concerted efforts by state and national Republican organizations encouraging early participation. This stands in contrast to the 2020 election cycle when then-President Donald Trump, without evidence, claimed that mail-in voting was susceptible to fraud.
In addition to presidential candidates, North Carolina voters are also deciding on a new governor, attorney general, several other statewide positions, and representatives for the US House and state General Assembly.
