NORTH CAROLINA, USA — One week into early voting in North Carolina, and the state is already seeing record turnout. More than two million people have voted since polls opened last Thursday. That's more than a quarter of all eligible voters in the state.
“We are running ahead of where we were four years ago in terms of in-person early voting,” said Michael Bitzer, Catawba College political professor and director of the Center for North Carolina Politics and Public Service.
As of 8 a.m. Thursday, 2,015,754 North Carolinians cast their ballot. The turnout represents around 26% of registered voters in the Tar Heel State, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
"Two big changes in 2024 compared to 2020 when it comes to early voting. One, there are more early voters. We are seeing record-breaking numbers of early voting. Second, Republicans are turning out to vote more often earlier than they have in the past," said Dr. Jason Husser, a political science professor and director for the Elon University Poll.
Of the 1.8 million people who voted early in person, registered Democrats and Republicans make up 34% each, and 31% are unaffiliated voters.
While it's too early to tell the impact these numbers will have on the election results, Husser said the data reveals a new strategy in the state.
"Traditionally Democrats need to really run up the numbers in early voting. If the early voting results from North Carolina don’t show up as high on Election Night, I start thinking: well, this isn’t going to be a good night for Democrats. I'm not going to be able to do that going forward because Republicans as a party have embraced early voting as a method.”
The number of current absentee ballots is down from past years, and experts believe the increased number of early in-person votes could have a role in the dip.
But Dr. Michael Blitzer, director of the Center for North Carolina Politics and Public Service, said the turnout shows more voters are aware of the significance their votes hold in tight races and on the national political landscape.
"We are well within the margin of error, so I think that is certainly prompting people to say, ‘I can be a part of a highly competitive election. My vote can make a difference.’”
Husser identifies North Carolina as one of seven key battleground states in the presidential election, and it features key races that could help shift power in Congress. Experts say it will be interesting how it all plays out come Election Day.
"We can't make any predictions right now,” said Bitzer, who said the voting numbers are a good sign of people in the state being engaged.
North Carolina voters have until November 2 to cast their ballot early. Election day is Tuesday, November 5, 2024.