North Carolina sees high early voting turnout despite hurricane recovery

North Carolina saw a big turnout for early voting despite recent hurricane damage. On 10/17/24 353‚166 people voted at over 400 sites‚ beating 2020s first-day numbers. This shows voters are eager about the election

The State Board of Elections shared that 4.54% of 7.78 million registered voters cast ballots. While the total count was higher than 4 years ago the percentage was slightly lower‚ as the states population has grown

Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina hard about 3 weeks ago‚ causing floods and destroying homes. However most voting sites in affected areas opened as planned. Bill Whalen an early voter from Asheville said‚ “its going to disrupt peoples lives“ but noted his neighbors understand the elections importance

Early voting is popular in North Carolina: it runs through 11/2/24 in all counties. In 2020 65% of votes were cast early. Absentee voting started before the hurricane with over 75‚000 ballots received so far

The ballot includes races for:
- President
- Governor
- Attorney General
- U.S. House seats
- State legislature positions

Karen Brinson Bell‚ Executive Director of the state board said the turnout shows voters trust the process and wont let a hurricane stop them from voting. Clear weather on voting day likely helped boost numbers

Despite challenges in western counties – where some still lack clean water – voters are showing up. This determination highlights the elections significance to North Carolinians‚ even in the face of natural disasters