Early voting in North Carolina: When it began, who uses it, and how to participate in 2022
Early voting in North Carolina: When it began, who uses it, and how to participate in 2022
North Carolinians are only a few weeks away from seeing “I voted” stickers on strangers’ grocery store clothes.
One-stop voting, also known as “early voting,” begins Oct. 20 and runs through Nov. 5. All indications are that the vast majority of North Carolina voters will take advantage of the two-week window to vote.
“In recent statewide and federal elections, in-person early voting has been the most popular way for North Carolinians to vote,” said Patrick Gannon, spokesman for the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
How early voting became such a powerhouse
Early voting accounted for approximately 56% of total ballots cast in the state in both the 2008 and 2012 general elections. According to the state Board of Elections, that number increased to 62% in 2016 and will rise to 65% in the 2020 general election.
However, it took several pieces of state legislation proposed over the course of more than 20 years for early voting to become the powerhouse that it is today.
Early voting in North Carolina began in 1977 when the North Carolina General Assembly amended absentee voting laws to allow residents who were already eligible for absentee ballots — people with disabilities or those who would be out of state on Election Day — to go to a county board of elections office, apply for an absentee ballot, and vote all in one location.
According to the University of North Carolina School of Government, the next step toward the emergence of early voting occurred in 1999. Then, two separate pieces of legislation made any voter eligible for an absentee ballot and authorized counties to set up multiple one-stop voting locations rather than relying solely on the county board of elections office.
In 2001, the legislature established an early voting period that began the third Thursday before Election Day and ended the Saturday before Election Day, and in 2007, lawmakers ruled that a person could register and vote at an early voting site on the same day.
As Gannon stated, one-stop voting has since become the most popular method of ballot-casting, with thousands of North Carolinians voting at early voting precincts.
“We anticipate that one-stop early voting will continue to be the most popular method of voting in the 2022 general election,” he said.
Who uses the early voting option in North Carolina?
Not only do presidential elections attract one-stop shoppers. According to state data, approximately 62% of voters used early voting in the most recent primary election in May.
“This popularity is undoubtedly due to the convenience that early voting provides,” wrote UNC professor Robert Joyce on the School of Government’s blog in 2010.
Early voting for the Nov. 8 general election will take place from Oct. 20 to Nov. 5. One-stop polling places are usually open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Some locations are closed on Saturday.
Visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections website for information on the locations and hours of operation of early voting sites in your county.
“Voters can vote on a variety of days (including at least one Saturday) and in a variety of locations (not just their assigned Election Day precinct voting location.”)
A closer examination of the state’s most recent voter turnout data reveals that women voted earlier than men. Women made up approximately 54% of one-stop voters in the primary election earlier this year. 44% were men, and 2% did not specify their gender.
White voters made up approximately 72% of those who used North Carolina one-stop precincts from April 28 to May 14, while Black voters made up approximately 23% of the more than 559,000 early voters. The remaining 5% were of other races and ethnicities.
Political party affiliation appears to influence early voting turnout as well. Approximately 40% of one-stop voters in the 2022 primary were Democrats, 33% were Republicans, and 27% were unaffiliated.
These trends are likely to predict how the upcoming election on Nov. 8 will turn out, as similar gender, racial, and political affiliation percentages have been seen in previous elections.
For example, the demographic percentages of one-stop voting in May 2022 essentially mirrored the November 2018 general election, which had similar congressional, state, and local contested races.
The only significant difference was among Republican voters. In 2018, they accounted for only about 30% of all early ballots cast. By 2022, that figure had risen to 33%.
Democrats, on the other hand, accounted for roughly 40% of all one-stop ballots in 2022, up from roughly 42% in 2018.
How do I vote early?
Any eligible North Carolina voter may vote early by visiting one of the states more than 350 one-stop voting locations, which are frequently located in libraries, schools, and community centres.
Early voting for the Nov. 8 general election will take place from Oct. 20 to Nov. 5. One-stop polling places are usually open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Some locations are closed on Saturday.
Visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections website for information on the locations and hours of operation of early voting sites in your county.
Eligible voters can register to vote and vote on the same day at a one-stop voting location. By changing their registration, registered voters can change their registration at early voting sites.
Visit the website of the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Do you have any more questions about voting in North Carolina? Check out Carolina Public Press’ in-depth guides for absentee and new voters, and take our quiz to test your knowledge of voting in the state.
