Record-Breaking Early Voting in North Carolina: Over 4 Million Ballots Cast

WILMINGTON, N.C. WECT – North Carolina’s State Board of Elections has reported a record-breaking turnout for early voting, with over four million ballots cast statewide.

On the final day of in-person early voting in New Hanover County, voters experienced long lines at polling places, with some waiting nearly two hours to cast their votes.

Sally Meserole, a volunteer with the Harris-Walz campaign, described Saturday as one of the busiest days of early voting, noting that lines formed before polling centers opened and persisted until after they closed at 3 p.m. Phenomenal.

We are all heads exploding – every site is over like a two-hour wait, she said. Meserole emphasized the importance of mobilizing Democratic voters in New Hanover County, a key battleground that could influence the outcome of this election cycle.

Democratic efforts include phone banking and door-to-door outreach leading up to Election Day on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Local Republicans have also been active, with more than 60% of registered Republicans in the county already having voted.

Harry Knight, the county party’s executive director, stated that they are focused on texting and reaching out to potential voters. I think it’s great that everybody’s getting their voices heard.

That’s very clear, Knight commented, highlighting the critical nature of get-out-the-vote efforts.

The stakes are high for both parties in this pivotal purple county within a competitive state, as both local and national races could be significantly affected by the outcome. There’s a lot of people, not only in the state – but around the country – that are watching what we’re doing, Knight added.

In-person voting will continue on Tuesday, with polling places open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters in line at 7:30 p.m. will still be allowed to cast their ballots.