Both Harris and Trump make final push for NC voters | Live Blog

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Last updated: Tuesday, November 5, 2024 9:43AM GMT
Race for the White House 2024
Early Wednesday morning, Trump secured enough Electoral College votes to set himself up for a second presidency, including by flipping the key swing states of Georgia, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Click here for the latest blog.

It's no secret that North Carolina is one of several key battleground states. That's not lost on the presidential candidates, who along with their surrogates have been constant presences in the state for months leading up to the 2024 general election.

Democrats think they can flip North Carolina for the first time since 2008. Republicans are out to deliver the state for Trump yet again.

In the updates below, you'll find the latest information on when the major party candidates plan campaign stops in the state during these final few days counting down to Nov. 5, Election Day. You'll also find other relevant updates, quick hits and links for statewide and local races.

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Oct 19, 2024, 5:23 PM GMT

How North Carolina officials work to ensure safety and security of voters and elections

North Carolina State Board of Elections said officials across the state work to ensure the safety and security of all voters and the election process.

Several processes are in place to secure the state's elections, including voting equipment testing and the investigations division.

Read more.

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Oct 18, 2024, 9:36 PM GMT

Trump campaign holding policy event in Hope Mills

The Trump campaign will hold a policy event in Hope Mills as part of its Team Trump Agenda 47 Policy Tour.

The event will be at 6 p.m. Saturday at Paradise Acres, 1965 John McMillan Road. Doors open at 5 p.m., according to a release. However, the time is listed as 2 p.m. on the Team Trump website.

Florida Reps. Cory Mills, Mike Waltz, Brian Mast, and Greg Steube will deliver remarks at the event.

Those wishing to attend can register for tickets here. Attendees should double-check the time of the event before going.

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Oct 18, 2024, 4:28 PM GMT

Comparing early voting from 2024 to 2020 is complicated

The first day of early voting is over in North Carolina, and the numbers show interesting differences from 2020.

The United States has gone through many changes in the four years since the country's last presidential election. So it's hard to know what, if anything, can be gleaned from comparing one day of voting statistics.

In-person voting saw a 1.3% increase from 2020 to 2024. However, mail-in absentee voting saw a major decrease, down to 77,661 from a whopping 568,188.

So after the first day of early voting 428,299 ballots were cast in 2024, that number was 916,787 in 2020.

That major shift in mail-in voting can be attributed to the country being in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, causing many more people to request mail-in ballots to avoid standing in a crowd to vote.

On the first day of in-person early voting in 2024, Republicans and men turned out in higher numbers than in 2020.

Registered Republicans made up 122,765 voters in 2024 but only 95,202 in 2020. Men made up 153,782 voters in 2024 but only 143,629 in 2020.

Meanwhile Democrats and women saw lower turnout in 2024: 128,493 and 183,190 as opposed to 166,489 and 187,269 respectively.

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Oct 18, 2024, 8:54 PM GMT

First day of early voting in NC sets new record for turnout

More people voted on the first day of early voting in 2024 than ever before.

The North Carolina Board of Elections said voters cast 353,166 in-person ballots on Thursday, breaking the record set in 2020 of 348,599. In addition, the state received another 75,133 absentee ballots. Meaning the total number of votes cast already in North Carolina is 428,299.

A growing percentage of younger voters are stepping up to make their voices heard.

"Yesterday'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," said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. "Let's keep it rolling, North Carolina."

Of those day one voter, 36% (157,246) were registered Democrat, 33% (143,833) were registered Republican and 30% (128,473) were registered as unaffiliated.

The majority of the first day votes were done in person, with 353,826 people casting ballots at the state's more than 400 early voting sites. Another 77,661 people cast their absentee ballot.

In-person day one early voting saw 128,493 registered Democrats, 122,765 registered Republicans and 101,139 people registered as unaffiliated.

Women showed up to vote in higher numbers than men. A total of 222,974 women voted as opposed to 185,333 men. That means 52% of early voters were women. The latest US Census data shows that 51% of people in North Carolina are women.

The largest portion of women who voted were registered Democrat (91,966), followed by Republican (70,394) and unaffiliated (59,848). But the story is different for men, with the largest group being registered Republican (66,951), followed by unaffiliated (58,963) and lastly Democrat 58,476.

Wake County saw the most voters in the state with a total of 42,113. Mecklenburg County came in a close second with 40,065.

In Durham County, 15,682 people voted. In Cumberland County, 10,798 people voted. In Orange County, 7,604 people voted.