RALEIGH, N.C. — A record-breaking number of North Carolinians voted in the 2020 election.
As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, 74.5% of North Carolinians have voted in the state, according to Catawba College political science professor Dr. Michael Bitzer, who says the number may go up slightly as North Carolina continues to count outstanding absentee by mail ballots.
By comparison, North Carolina's overall voter turnout in 2016 was 68.98%. Unofficial numbers show absentee mail-in voting came from 45% registered Democrats, 34% registered unaffiliated voters and 20% registered Republicans.
More than 100,000 absentee ballots requested by North Carolinians have not yet been counted. Those could be crucial determinants of some close races, including the race for the White House between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.
As of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, President Donald Trump led Democratic challenger Joe Biden by 76,701 votes. Early Wednesday, Trump declared victory to his supporters, saying he'd ask the Supreme Court to weigh in, calling the process, without evidence, "major fraud on our nation."
That number could be significantly lower as about 17,000 voters who requested absentee ballots have already voted in person on election day, election officials report.
Voter turnout by major local counties:
Mecklenburg County:
Biden: 66.9%
Trump: 31.7%
Cabarrus County:
Biden: 44.4%
Trump: 54%
Gaston County
Biden: 35.4%
Trump: 63.5%
Lincoln County
Biden: 26.4%
Trump: 72.6%
Union County
Biden: 37.2%
Trump: 61.6%