North Carolina sees record turnout on first day of early voting

(The Center Square) – Following a record-setting first day of early voting in North Carolina, nearly half a million ballots have been cast.

As of Friday morning, 428,299 voters had turned out. That includes both absentee and early voting ballots.

Many were unsure how Hurricane Helene's devastation would affect voter participation, but the North Carolina State Board of Elections has taken several steps to assist the hardest-hit counties.

The record turnout was encouraging for state officials.

“Yesterday’s turnout is a clear sign that voters are energized about this election, that they trust the elections process, and that a hurricane will not stop North Carolinians from exercising their right to vote,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Election. “Let’s keep it rolling, North Carolina.”

Colin Loftin, a state board official, said more than 353,000 people alone cast ballots on Thursday, the first official day of voting, besting the record high of 348,000 set in 2020. Factoring in the 75,133 absentee ballots received, 5.5% of the state’s 7.7 million registered voters have turned out so far.

The state board said there were long lines at the polling sites, but no significant issues were reported.

“Election officials expect more in-person voting this year than in 2020, when a record 18% of voters cast their ballots by mail due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” the board said in a statement.

Georgia saw a very similar trend when they opened early voting earlier this week.

More than 300,000 Georgians cast their ballots on Tuesday, according to election officials. That is more than double the 136,000 cast on the first day of early voting in 2020. As of Friday, that number had already increased to just over 900,000.

North Carolina, with its 16 electoral votes, is one of seven consensus battleground states. Both presidential candidates and their campaigns have made frequent stops in the state, which also has several competitive downballot races.

In-person early voting will continue through Saturday, Nov. 2 at 419 sites across the state.