North Carolina passes 4 million votes with early voting still open through Saturday
Four million voters have cast their ballots in North Carolina as of late Thursday afternoon, and there are still two days left to register to vote and take part in early voting.
The State Board of Elections reported the voter milestone at 5:30 p.m., which means that nearly 53% of registered voters have cast their ballots.
Early voting, which began Oct. 15, comes to an end Saturday at 3 p.m. It will be the last opportunity people have to register and vote at the same time; same day registration is not an option on Election Day, Nov. 3.
The days leading up to the end of early voting are typically the busiest with the longest lines, says Greg Flynn, head of the Wake County Board of Elections. Flynn suggests going Friday, when polls remain open until 7:30 p.m., and said Wake voters can use the county’s estimated wait time tool to find sites with shorter lines.
“Even if the site closest to you is busy, there will be one 10 or 15 minutes away, and that travel distance might be less than what you spend waiting in line,” Flynn said. “If you are planning on voting on Saturday, wear comfortable shoes and make sure you bring a snack.”
Polls open at 8 a.m. both days, and voters who are in line by the time the sites close – 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday – will be allowed to vote.
Same-day registrants must confirm their residency and eligibility to vote, which, according to the State Board of Elections, can be proven by showing a North Carolina driver’s license or any other government-issued photo identification with the voter’s name and address; a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or other official document with the same information; or a college photo identification card along with proof of campus residency.
Saturday is also the last day voters will be allowed to turn in absentee ballots in person at a polling site; mail-in ballots will not be accepted at the polls on Election Day.
Voters are able to drop off their mail-in ballots in person to their county board of elections office before 5 p.m. on Nov. 3, or mail it in as long as it’s postmarked by Election Day and received by Nov. 12, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
“Even with the deadline extension, we encourage voters to return their absentee ballot as soon as possible and ensure it is postmarked,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections, in a news release. “Please make sure your ballot is counted. Return it now.”
So far, more than 852,000 (or 63%) have returned their absentee ballots, as of Wednesday, according to the N.C. Board of Elections. About 273,000 voters who requested an absentee ballot have yet to vote, according to a news release.
Voters are not allowed to bring their ballot to a poll site on Election Day, the news release said.
In 2016, more than 544,000 voters cast their ballots at the polls in the last Thursday and Friday of the early voting period, the highest two-day turnout.
So far this year, the highest turnout was Oct. 15 and Oct. 16, the first two days of early voting, when more than 671,000 voters cast ballots.
Lucille Sherman contributed to this story.
This story was originally published October 29, 2020 at 1:45 PM with the headline "North Carolina passes 4 million votes with early voting still open through Saturday."