NORTH CAROLINA, USA — A new poll out of North Carolina shows the presidential race is neck and neck among registered voters in the Tar Heel State.
North Carolina is one of the key battleground states in the race for the White House.
"North Carolina remains neck and neck in the race for president," said Prof. Jason Husser, director of the Elon University Poll.
With only one week until Election Day, the poll results show Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump at 46% each among voters in the state. The data features polling from 800 registered North Carolina voters between October 10-17. This is the third and final Elon University Poll report of the Fall 2024 election cycle.
"North Carolina is absolutely crucial and at this stage, it is way too close to call," said Husser.
Husser said the state's 16 electoral college votes will go a long way for either candidate, and it is important to track what happens with the small number of undecided voters over the next week.
Husser said Trump likely needs about 44% and Harris needs about 51% of the vote if results match current trends in the non-swing states.
According to the poll, the economy, immigration, and healthcare are the key issues facing North Carolinians, but election integrity is also a growing concern.
"Overall, North Carolina is concerned that votes cast will not be fair and accurate, but there is a partisan symmetry here," said Husser. "North Carolinians are on edge. They're on edge for different reasons. Republicans are more concerned about vote counting being accurate. Democrats are more concerned about what happens after the election."
The study revealed that 62% of voters polled said it is “highly likely” or “somewhat likely” that people working for either presidential campaign will try to fraudulently change the outcome of the election.
Meanwhile, several North Carolina communities are still recovering from Hurricane Helene, leading to concerns about the storm's impact on voting. However, the results found only 2% of impacted voters said they were less likely to cast their ballot because of the storm damage.
In terms of recovery efforts, 68% of Democrats said federal and state agencies are doing a “very good” or “good” job responding to Hurricane Helene, while only 24% of Republicans said they felt that way.
In the race for North Carolina governor, the poll showed Democrat Attorney General Josh Stein is up by 21 points over Republican Lt. Governor Mark Robinson.
And when it comes to the record number of early voters, "convenience" and "wanting to get it over with" were the top reasons.