North Carolina voters turned out in droves on the weather-friendly first day of the in-person early voting period on Thursday, setting a first-day record of 353,166 ballots accepted at sites statewide, according to preliminary State Board of Elections data.
The early voting numbers topped the previous record for the first day of early voting — 348,559, set in 2020 — by 1.3 percent.
Throughout the day Thursday, the State Board received reports of lines at early voting sites across the state. Despite the turnout, no significant issues or problems were reported to the State Board.
“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 State Board of Elections. “Let’s keep it rolling, North Carolina.”
As of Friday morning, 428,299 voters had cast ballots in North Carolina. This includes 75,133 absentee ballots cast.
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.
In-person early voting continues through Saturday, Nov. 2, at 419 sites statewide. The State Board urges voters to review three important tips about early voting below:
- Early voting locations. Eligible voters may cast a ballot at any early voting site in their county. For sites and hours in all 100 counties, use the Early Voting Sites Search tool. Also, see Early Voting Sites for the Nov. 5, 2024 General Election (PDF).
- Candidate info. Sample ballots are available through the Voter Search tool. For information on candidates for the state Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, see the State Board’s Judicial Voter Guide: 2024 General Election. The State Board does not provide information on candidate positions other than the judicial voter guide, but there are many media and other sources for that information.
- Bring your photo ID. Voters will be asked to show photo ID when they check in to vote. Most voters will show their driver’s license, but many other forms of photo ID will be accepted. Voters who do not have photo ID can meet the photo ID requirement by either (1) filling out a form explaining why they are unable to show ID or (2) showing their ID at the county board of elections office by 5 p.m. Nov. 14. More information about the photo ID requirement is available at BringItNC.gov.
For more early voting tips, go to 10 Tips for NC Voters as Early Voting Begins This Week.
For voters affected by Hurricane Helene, please visit ncsbe.gov/Helene. This includes information about how to request an absentee ballot to be delivered to a new location, if you’ve been displaced, and how to track that ballot. It also includes information on special provisions for these disaster-affected voters only, including how to deliver your absentee ballot to any early voting or elections office in the state.
Photo by Sandhills Sentinel photographer Melissa Schaub.
Contributed article.
