RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — After just four days of early in-person voting, over a million votes have already been cast in North Carolina — a number that represents about 13% of the state’s 7.8 million registered voters.
According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections’ preliminary data, 1,008,123 ballots have been cast so far in the 2024 general election. The number is the sum total of ballots from all methods of voting, which breaks down as follows:
- In-person early voting: 916,433
- Absentee (civilian): 77,832
- Absentee (overseas): 11,168
- Absentee (military): 2,691
The NC Board of Elections noted these numbers are slightly lower than actual turnout due to the lag in time between when a ballot is cast and when a county board of elections uploads the data to the state.
On Sunday, faith groups organized “Souls to the Polls” events in both Wake and Durham counties to get even more voters to the booths.
“I think the reality is that North Carolina will always be in play just because of the fact that this is one of the fastest growing states in the country,” said Grady Bussey, a community organizer who attended the Wake County event. “We are always going to be in the mix. We’re glad to see candidates take it seriously, and come visit us so we can hear what they have to say.”
Though none of the current presidential and vice presidential candidates were in the state this weekend, former president Bill Clinton was. He ended his three-day bus tour to campaign for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as well as other Democrats on the state’s ballot with a block party in Raleigh Sunday afternoon.
“He knows the job, he did the job, so he knows what to tell people about what it entails,” attendee Lisa Wilder said. “I’m a teacher and public schools is the top issue for me. I need someone who understands that, who will lead the funding that we need, people that understand what the teachers need … We want someone who’s going to listen to us.”
Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump is set to make stops in North Carolina this week, including in Greenville Monday and Greensboro on Tuesday.
Both campaigns are hitting North Carolina hard as early in-person voting heads into its second week and voters are turning out in record numbers in a swing state that is still dealing with logistical concerns in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
“My sincerest thanks goes out to the county boards of elections and the thousands of election workers around the state who are making this happen,” said Karen Brinson Bell, the state board’s executive director. “It has been an incredibly busy few days. Please thank those in your community who are making sure your vote counts.”
On Thursday, North Carolina voters broke the record for turnout for the first day of early in-person voting with 353,166 ballots cast. Through Saturday, nearly 863,000 voters had cast in-person ballots, which the state board of elections said was an increase of 2.4% over 2020.
Early in-person voting runs through Nov. 2. Poll sites and times vary by county and can be found using the state’s Early Voting Site Search tool. The state board also posts the daily turnout numbers on their website.
