North Carolina early voters, still recovering from Helene, exceed 2020 voter turnout

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — More North Carolina residents turned out to cast ballots on the first day of early voting this year than in 2020, even as residents from the mountainous western portion of the state continued to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene.

Preliminary data shows a record 353,166 people cast ballots at more than 400 early voting sites statewide on Thursday, compared to 348,599 on the first day in October 2020, the State Board of Elections said Friday.

As North Carolina's population and voter registration continues to grow, Thursday's total as a percentage of the current number of registered voters in the state was slightly lower compared to the percentage of the electorate four years ago, according to data provided by the board. Thursday's number was 4.54% of the state's 7.78 million voters, while the 2020 first-day figure was 4.78% of the 7.29 million registrants at the time.

The number of ballots that were cast and voters who were registered as of Thursday is expected to increase as county election boards continue to upload data, board spokesperson Pat Gannon said.

Lines and full parking lots were common on Thursday at voting sites in highly populated Piedmont counties and in the mountainous region where historic flooding three weeks ago destroyed homes, roads and bridges and knocked out power and water systems. The board said Friday it had received no reports of significant issues or voting problems.

Thursday's turnout “is a clear sign that voters are energized about this election, that they trust the elections process, and that a hurricane will not stop North Carolinians from exercising their right to vote,” state board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell said in a news release. Clear, sunny weather on Thursday likely aided the turnout, according to election officials.

Helene was the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005, decimating remote towns throughout Appalachia and killing at least 246 people, with a little over half of the storm-related deaths in North Carolina.

While electricity has nearly been fully restored in western North Carolina, tens of thousands lack access to clean running water. Still, all but four of the 80 early voting sites initially planned for the 25 western counties hardest hit by the storm were open on Thursday.

“Obviously, any time you have something this cataclysmic, it’s going to disrupt people’s lives,” early voter Bill Whalen, 75, of Asheville, said Thursday, but “at least in my neighborhood, there’s a widespread understanding of the importance of this election and how important it is to vote.”

The early-vote period, which continues through Nov. 2 in all 100 counties, is extremely popular in North Carolina. More than 3.6 million ballots — 65% of all ballots — were cast during early voting in the 2020 general election. Voters can simultaneously register to vote and cast a ballot during the 17-day period.

Traditional absentee balloting began several days before Helene reached the state. More than 75,000 ballots were received from in-state, military and overseas voters through Thursday, the board said.

In addition to president, the North Carolina ballot also includes races for governor, attorney general and several other statewide positions. All U.S. House and General Assembly seats also are up for reelection.

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Associated Press video journalist Erik Verduzco in Asheville, North Carolina, contributed to this report.