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North Carolina sets record for first day of early voting

North Carolina sets record for first day of early voting

RALEIGH, NC — More than 350,000 North Carolina voters cast ballots on Thursday, the first day of the early voting period for the 2024 general election.

According to the State Board of Elections, there were a record 353,166 voters statewide.

Thursday’s early voting numbers exceeded the previous record from the first day of early voting – 348,559 set in 2020 – by 1.3 percent.

The state’s most populous county – Wake County – also had the most ballots cast on the first day of voting, with 30,843. Almost 30,000 voters cast their votes in Mecklenburg County.

North Carolina has more than 7.7 million registered voters. Almost 3 million of them are independent. Nationwide, 2.4 million people are registered as Democrats; 2.3 million are registered as Republicans.

Early voting runs until Saturday, November 2nd at 3:00 p.m. Voters may cast their ballots at any early voting location in the county where they are registered to vote. Specific days and times for early voting vary by county.

State Returning Officer Karen Brinson Bell said the high turnout — even in storm-ravaged counties in Western North Carolina — shows people trust the process.

“These are crucial elections in our state,” she said. “We are a battleground state and there is a lot of attention on us because of the presidential campaign, but we will have a new governor, a new lieutenant governor and a new attorney general. We will have many members newly elected to our legislature.”

Look at your ballot and make a voting plan

Enter your home address here to see the candidates your Ballots and the times and locations for early voting in your county.

Individuals who are not registered to vote or need to update their address, name or other information may also register for early voting in person with a driver’s license or other acceptable form of identification.

Why do we need your address?

The WRAL Voter Guide is based on your address because your ballot varies depending on where you live. Enter your address to see the races and candidates you will vote for on primary day.

Use your address to see and compare the candidates for each office and read their answers to questions about the issues you care about.

The WRAL Voter Guide uses your email address to allow you to verify your voter registration and set a reminder about your time and place to vote.