More North Carolina residents turned out to vote on the first day of early voting than in 2020, according to a report from the Associated Press.
This comes as residents in the Tar Heel State are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which claimed the lives of over 200 people.
Reportedly, all but four of the early voting sites planned for the 25 counties impacted by the storm were open for voting (via AP):
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.
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.
State board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell told the outlet that the voting 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.”
“Obviously, any time you have something this cataclysmic, it’s going to disrupt people’s lives,” one early voter Bill Whalen, 75, told the outlet on 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.”
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