More than 4 million North Carolinians have cast their ballot; early voting deadline is Saturday

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- North Carolina continues to see record turnout in early voting this year, the state hitting another milestone as polling stations close on Thursday.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections said Thursday evening more than four million North Carolinians have cast their ballots in the historic 2020 election; that's 53% of registered voters in the state.

More than three million have shown up to vote early in-person and more than 867,000 voters sent their ballots in by mail.

In 61 of North Carolina's 100 counties, more than half of registered voters have already cast their ballots.

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To get into specifics, Chatham County has the highest percentage of voter turnout with 66.1%.

While Wake County trails behind in ninth place of voter turnout with 57% of registered voters, more than 453,000 voters have cast ballots so far in the county.

Voter turnout in both Orange and Durham counties hovers at or around 60%.

The lowest voter turnout in the state is in Hyde and Robeson counties -- 32.9% and 34.4%, respectively.

But those numbers are still subject to change; early voting in North Carolina ends Saturday, Oct. 31.

Track early voting wait times at Wake, Durham County polls

"Be patient. If you are voting an absentee ballot get it back in as soon as you can. Don't assume it won't count. Just act as soon as you can," said Gerry Cohen, a member of the Wake County Board of Elections.

Cohen offers these tips to those who have not already voted:

• First, he says if you are voting by absentee ballot in the mail, you have until Monday, Nov. 2, but it must be postmarked by Election Day.
• Second, ballots that are postmarked by the deadline but arrive after Election Day will be counted on Nov. 12 and 13. He says if you want your ballot in the election night vote totals, you'll want your ballot to be dropped off at your nearest Board of Elections Office or early voting location by Monday. You can also drop them off at the post office and mail them priority or express mail so they arrive on Tuesday.
• Finally, voters that requested an absentee ballot--but have not returned it--may vote in-person during the early voting period or on Election Day, Nov. 3.

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