North Carolina has exceeded its previous early-voting record set in 2020, as reported by the State Board of Elections on Sunday. Over 4.2 million voters participated in early in-person voting, with turnout in western counties affected by Hurricane Helene surpassing other regions in the state.
The popularity of early in-person voting has been rising in this presidential battleground state over several election cycles. Voters in North Carolina have the opportunity to register and vote at the same time at early voting sites.
In 2020, a record of 3.63 million voters cast ballots during the early-voting period across all 100 counties. This year, the state surpassed that figure by Thursday, well before the early voting period concluded, according to the board.
Including absentee ballots, a total of 4,465,548 voters, which represents 57% of North Carolina’s 7.8 million registered voters, had voted in the general election as of Sunday morning. Officials noted this figure might be slightly underestimated due to a delay in data processing.
Turnout in the 25 western counties impacted by Hurricane Helene reached 58.9%, approximately 2% higher than the statewide average, as per state officials.
Karen Brinson Bell, Executive Director of the State Board, expressed pride in a statement, commending the work of all 100 county boards of elections and election workers. She specifically praised the efforts and determination of workers and voters in Western North Carolina.
The heightened early turnout this year has been partly driven by efforts from state and national Republicans to encourage early voting. This approach contrasts significantly with the 2020 election, during which former President Donald Trump alleged, without supporting evidence, that mail-in voting was fraught with fraud.
In addition to voting for the president, North Carolina residents are electing a new governor, attorney general, and several other statewide officials, as well as members of the U.S. House and the state General Assembly.
