(The Center Square) – Nearly 6 in 10 registered voters in North Carolina’s 13 counties hardest hit by Hurricane Helene have cast ballots either by absentee mail or early in person.
The 58.2% turnout rate surpasses the 56.7% statewide as North Carolina through Saturday had crossed the threshold of 7.8 million registered voters. The largest voting bloc, those registering unaffiliated, lead in volume and share of votes cast thus far, and in volume and share of votes eligible to be cast on Election Day.
In a release, State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell said, “I am proud of all of our 100 county boards of elections and the thousands of election workers who are making this happen in their communities. And I am especially proud of the workers and voters of western North Carolina. You are an inspiration to us all.”
The turnout of more than 4.4 million is greater than the 2.9 million of 2016, the last time comparable because of the 2020 pandemic. Four years ago, more than 4.5 million voted prior to Election Day.
Voters registering unaffiliated make up the largest bloc (37.8%); cast the most votes combined by absentee or early in person by volume and share (33.6%); and have the most remaining to be cast by volume (1,466,093) and share (43.9%).
Of the less than 3.4 million voters eligible to cast ballots remaining, only 30.3% are Democrats and 25.8% Republicans.
The turnout hasn’t deterred the biggest ticket on the state’s longest ballot of every four years. Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump were in the state on Saturday, Trump was back on Sunday and plans to start his day in Raleigh on Monday. North Carolina is one of seven consensus battlegrounds, and with Pennsylvania arguably as pivotal as any to winning the White House.
Of ballots cast, the party registrations are 33.6% unaffiliated, 33.3% Republican and 32.4% Democrats. Historically, Republicans have lagged far behind and enjoyed big Election Day volume while Democrats have been more likely to use the modern-day changes of voting early either by absentee ballot or in person.
The first time absentee by mail ballots were allowed was 1977, though only for people with disabilities or those who would be out of state on Election Day. An application process was necessary. In 1999, eligibility changed to any voter, and one-stop locations were introduced.
According to data from the Board of Elections, through Saturday the party registration breakdown of the more than 7.8 million registered is 37.8% unaffiliated, 31.3% Democrats and 29.9% Republicans.
Helene came ashore in Florida on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 hurricane. It dissipated over the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, bringing what many believe is the state’s worst natural disaster in rain and mudslides that killed 101. On Friday, as the sixth week of recovery was to begin, seven were still unaccounted for or missing.
A fatality in Tennessee discovered and announced late Friday pushed the South’s death toll to 230, third-most by hurricanes from the Atlantic Basin in the last three-quarters of a century.
Rightly feared as a region where voter turnout could be impacted by Helene’s devastation, the counties of Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga and Yancey are home to more than 600,000 voters. Some 352,000 plus have voted.
Clearing 60% turnout already are Transylvania (63.2%), Haywood (61.2%), Yancey (61.2%), Polk (60.6%) and Mitchell (60.4%). The only counties below the state norm are Rutherford (51.9%) and Avery (51.6%).
Enabling the relief to match the federal disaster declaration, the Legislature unanimously added Alexander, Alleghany, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon and Wilkes counties as eligible to use emergency measures this election cycle.
