Voter Turnout Statistics

General Election Data

View the latest unofficial data on North Carolina voter turnout and voting methods in the 2020 general election in the charts below. Compare and contrast the data against the three most recent U.S. presidential general elections.

Voter Turnout

  Total Ballots Cast Registered Voters Voter Turnout
2020 General Election 5.54 million 7.36 million 75%
2016 General Election 4.77 million 6.92 million 69%
2012 General Election 4.54 million 6.66 million 68%
2008 General Election 4.38 million 6.27 million 70%

Sources: Election Results Dashboard; statewide voter history; voter registration snapshots

Voting Methods

  Absentee By-Mail One-Stop Early Voting Election Day In-Person Provisional
2020 General Election* 18% 65% 16% <1%
2016 General Election 4% 62% 33% <1%
2012 General Election 5% 56% 38% <1%
2008 General Election 5% 55.5% 38.5% <1%

Numbers reflect the percentage of total ballots cast; Source: statewide voter history

*2020 percentages are rounded estimates; percentages will be updated when all 100 counties have finished finalizing their voter histories

General Election Absentee By-Mail and Early Voting Data

Find the unofficial absentee turnout* for the 2020 general election with data refreshed daily through the absentee by-mail ballot receipt deadline (Nov. 12). View the interactive maps below, accompanied by a breakdown of voter turnout by party affiliation. For comparison, see the interactive charts with current and historical daily totals from the 2020 and 2016 general elections, beginning during the one-stop early voting periods.

*All ballots cast in person during the one-stop early voting period are considered absentee in North Carolina.

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2020 Absentee Turnout: By Party

Voter Party Affiliation 

Absentee Ballots Cast (including absentee by-mail and one-stop early voting)

% of Total Absentee Ballots Cast
Democratic 1,726,701 37.3%
Republican 1,465,473 31.7%
Unaffiliated 1,411,527 30.5%
Libertarian 21,329 0.5%
Constitution 2,183 <0.1%
Green 1,987 <0.1%

Source: absentee_counts_20201103.csv (updated at 5 a.m. on Nov. 14, 2020)