CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina has set a new record for early voting, with over half of registered voters statewide casting a ballot in the 2024 election, the State Board of Elections announced on Friday.
As of 2 p.m. Friday, more than 3.7 million voters cast ballots in person during the early voting period that began on Oct. 17. The number beats the previous record of 3,629,000 ballots cast early in 2020. Early voting ends at 3 p.m. Saturday. Nationwide, over 59 million people have voted in the election so far.
The 2024 general election turnout now exceeds 4 million people in North Carolina. The ballots cast through 2 p.m. Friday, approximately 4 million, represents a turnout of more than half (51.2%) of registered voters in the Tar Heel State.
"This is really good news for North Carolina," Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of the State Board of Elections said. "For the eligible North Carolinians who haven't voted yet, you still have time to make your voice heard."
Early voting has become the most popular option in North Carolina lately. In 2020, 65% of voters used the early voting period to cast their ballots, the SBE said. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Recent polling shows a dead heat between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump in North Carolina. Trump carried the state in 2016 and 2020, but his margin of victory shrank from 3% in 2016 to 1% in 2020. Both candidates have visited the state several times in recent weeks, with Trump and Harris each hosting rallies in the Charlotte area on Saturday to encourage supporters on the final day of early voting.