(The Center Square) – As North Carolina moved less than 12 weeks from mailing absentee ballots, the state’s total voter registrations rose another 5,325 to within less than 16,000 of 7.8 million.
Trending consistent to the most recent nearly two decades, and particularly since the pandemic era, voter registrations are swelling the unaffiliated bloc and dropping the two major parties. This most recent seven-day window, the State Board of Elections data says, was a rate of 9 in 10.
For the week posted Saturday, unaffiliated registrations climbed 4,888 of the 5,325 total. Republicans gained 230 and Democrats 174.
Total registrations are 7,784,873, with shares 39.7% for unaffiliated (3,093,240), 29.9% Republicans (2,325,667) and 29.7% Democrats (2,314,915).
In the past 11 weeks, the total registrations have gone up 49,542. The shares are an increase of 48,540 for independents, an increase of 750 for Republicans and a loss of 11 for Democrats.
For the 2026 midterms on Nov. 3, absentee ballots go into the mail Sept. 4 – or 11 weeks from this coming Friday. North Carolinians will choose a U.S. senator, all 14 members of the U.S. House, and all 170 members of the General Assembly.
For context in the change of landscape, at what is generally considered a landmark Election Day in 2008, the state’s total registrations were 6,264,733. Those unaffiliated numbered just under 1.4 million (22.2%) while Democrats’ 2,866,669 had 45.8% share and Republicans’ 2,002,416 was a 32% share. Barack Obama became the first Democrat since Jimmy Carter in 1976 to carry the state, by a mere 14,177 votes of more than 4.3 million cast, on the way to winning the White House.
The state’s lone U.S. Senate seat was won by Democrat Kay Hagan, and the 13 U.S. House seats were divvied up eight Democrats and five Republicans.
The Council of State went 8-2 to Democrats. Incumbent Republicans’ Steve Troxler and Cherie Berry remained commissioners of agriculture and labor, respectively. And the General Assembly was 30-20 Democrats in the Senate and 68-52 Democrats in the House of Representatives.
Today, Republicans have won the state in the presidential race 13 of the last 15 contests (1968-present), five consecutive U.S. Senate races (2010-present), and two years ago captured 10 of 14 seats for the U.S. House.
The Council of State is a 5-5 split. On Election Day 2024, the General Assembly majorities were 30-20 Republicans in the Senate and 71-49 Republicans in the House of Representatives.
