North Carolina has broken its early-voting record set in 2020, with over 4.2 million voters casting their ballots at early in-person voting sites. The State Board of Elections revealed that turnout in western counties, despite being impacted by Hurricane Helene, exceeded the rest of the state.
Early in-person voting, which concluded on Saturday, has gained popularity in the battleground state over recent election cycles. This method allows individuals to both register to vote and cast their ballots at early voting sites.
Four years ago, a record 3.63 million people participated in early voting across all 100 counties. This year, the state surpassed that total days before the period ended, reaching 4.2 million early in-person voters.
When factoring in absentee voting, a total of 4,465,548 voters, representing 57% of the state's 7.8 million registered voters, had cast their ballots in the general election as of Sunday morning. Officials noted that the actual turnout may be slightly higher due to a delay in data uploading.
Turnout in the 25 western counties affected by Hurricane Helene stood at 58.9%, approximately 2% higher than the statewide turnout. State board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell commended the efforts of election workers and voters, particularly in Western North Carolina, for their dedication and inspiration.
This year's robust early turnout can be attributed in part to a Republican-led initiative at the state and national levels to encourage early voting. This contrasts sharply with the 2020 election, during which former President Donald Trump made unsubstantiated claims about mail-in voting fraud.
In addition to the presidential race, North Carolina residents are also participating in the selection of a new governor, attorney general, and various other statewide positions, as well as members of the U.S. House and state General Assembly.
