2018 Midterm Election: Record Early Voter Turnout in NC

CHARLOTTE, NC — The 2018 midterms election is shaping up to be one for the record books in North Carolina, especially when it comes to voter turnout.

Almost a third of registered voters in the Tar Heel State took advantage of early voting, which began Oct. 17, and concluded Nov. 3. According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, early voting totals were at least 74 percent higher than the 2014 midterms election turnout figures, with more than 2 million votes cast.

That means about 29 percent of the the state’s total registered voters did their civic duty before election day Nov. 6.

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“Voted early at War Memorial yesterday when it was raining,” said Mooresville voter Barry Bridges said Saturday. “I was happy to see a steady flow of voters coming in. No waiting time.”

According to NCSBE data, the proportion of ballots cast by political party as of Nov. 4 were:

• 42.48 percent Democrat
• 30.30 percent Republican
• 26.93 percent Unaffiliated
• 0.27 percent Libertarian
• 0.01 percent Constitution
• 0.01 percent Green

What early voter turnout will ultimately mean, however, is far from certain, according to political observers.

“I don’t think anybody has a clear sense of what the final outcome will be,” as questions still loom as to how many voters will turn out on Election Day, Michael Bitzer, political science professor at Catawba College, told the Charlotte Observer.

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