MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — North Carolina already beat its record early-voter turnout in the 2020 election, and Democrats in Mecklenburg County are devoting more resources than ever to win on Election Day.
North Carolina's early voting period runs through Saturday, Nov. 2. Democrats told NBC News it's all about juicing the numbers as much as possible in Mecklenburg County to flip the state in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris. They're using an unprecedented strategy focusing on registered Democrats that they believe could lead Harris straight to the White House.
Timothy Williams has lived here his entire life. He said this is the first time canvassers have knocked on his door encouraging him to vote in an election. He's one of more than 280,000 doors Mecklenburg County Democrats have knocked on in the past 18 months. For Democrats, it's an all-in effort to win North Carolina through Charlotte.
"Way more outreach through my phone," Antonio Lawrence said. "Definitely a lot of texts and emails."
The reason? While Mecklenburg County has the highest number of registered Democrats in the state, it lags other similarly blue counties in voter turnout year after year. In 2020, just 72% of registered Democrats in Mecklenburg County voted, compared to 80% in Wake County and 74% in Forsyth County.
In a state that hasn't gone blue for the presidency since Barack Obama in 2008, volunteers are doing everything they can to boost voter turnout.
"This is the place where we have all the votes needed to flip this state," Mecklenburg County Democratic Party Chair Drew Kromer said.
That's why the 27-year-old says this year, all eyes will be on the Tar Heel State.
"Imagine election night," Kromer said, painting his dream scenario for the election. "We have 230-foot screens up on the wall. It's 1,000 people, we're having a big party, and it's Steve Kornacki. He's up, he's got his big, magic board and he's looking at North Carolina, and he says, 'What the hell just happened in Mecklenburg County?'"
So what's new about pumping money into a county that typically already votes Democrats? Math, Kromer says.
"For Democrats to win statewide here, they need Mecklenburg to not just be blue, but to be dark blue," he said.
The Mecklenburg County Democratic Party went from zero paid staff in previous years to now 25 people. They've grown from a few dozen volunteers to nearly 5,000. And of course the money.
"Instead of raising, $40,000 or $50,000 a year, we've raised — since I became party chair about 18 months ago — we've raised $2.7 million," Kromer said.
He said about half of what they've raised has come from outside of North Carolina. He says the appeal to Democrats nationwide is simple. This county can flip the election.
"Have you ever heard of Fulton County, Georgia?" Kromer asked. "It won the presidency for Joe Biden, gave Democrats the majority in the Senate. Well, we have more registered voters here in Mecklenburg County than in Fulton County."
For that to happen, Kornacki said it'll take more than just one county.
"If they're going to flip North Carolina, it's just about driving up as much support as they can," Kornacki explained. "Take a look at every election. The Democrats have been squeezing more and more out of Mecklenburg County, where Charlotte as you go back 12 years, Democrats were winning it. Obama won this by about 100,000 votes. Now 2020, the last time around look at that margin. It was almost 200,000 votes. Democrats need that even higher if they're going to win North Carolina this time."
It's an uphill climb that North Carolina Republicans are counting on.
"Yes, we need to have the turnout, but they also need to look at the red rural areas," Lorena Castillo-Ritz, the Mecklenburg County Republican Party Chair, said. "Right now, we're surrounded by Union County, Cabarrus County, Iredell County and Gaston County. All red, smaller counties than we are, but that Democratic vote would have to come up and we're not seeing that.
Kromer's response to the skeptics is that Democrats are going back to a proven formula.
"The reason Obama won in 2008 was because we knocked on every single door in the county," he said. "We ran out of doors to knock on. We're doing that again this year."
For context, Mecklenburg County is the second-largest county in North Carolina. And among the seven swing states that could determine the election, it's tied for the second-most electoral votes.