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North Carolina broke its early voting record as more than 4.2 million voters cast ballots statewide, the State Board of Elections announced Sunday.
The state, recently hit by flooding from Hurricane Helene, saw even higher turnout in the damaged western part of the state.
“I am proud of all of our 100 county boards of elections and the thousands of election workers who are making this happen in their communities,” state board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell said in a statement. “And I am especially proud of the workers and voters of Western North Carolina. You are an inspiration to us all.”
The early voting total passed the previous record of 3.63 million early votes in 2020. The total of 4.4 million votes including absentee ballots included 57 percent of the state’s registered voters, according to the Associated Press.
The state’s election board applauded the high turnout in the 25 counties impacted by recent storm damages.
“Additionally, voters in the 25 Western North Carolina counties affected by Hurricane Helene continue to outpace the rest of the state in voter turnout. Through Saturday, turnout in those 25 counties was 58.9%, about 2% higher than the statewide turnout,” the state’s board of elections reported.
Totals for each candidate or party have not yet been released.
President Donald Trump’s final rally in the state is being held Monday at 10:00 a.m. Eastern in Raleigh.
“Since Harris took office, prices have surged 21.8 percent, costing North Carolina families an extra $1,000 each month. The average Tar Heel household has already lost nearly $28,000 to inflation, spending an additional $3,210 on food alone since January 2021,” the Trump campaign statement announcing the Raleigh event reported.
“On top of that, illegal immigration costs North Carolina taxpayers $3.14 billion annually adding nearly $800 in extra expenses per household. According to 2023 data, illegal immigration has placed 122,218 students in local schools, costing taxpayers $1.47 billion in education alone and $461.1 million for police, legal, and corrections,” it continued.
The Trump campaign’s statement blasted Harris, stating that her “policies are failing North Carolina residents,” arguing that, “Harris broke North Carolina’s economy, but President Trump will fix it.”
