Voter Turnout

Overview

Discover North Carolina voter turnout in presidential and non-presidential elections over the decades. Explore the pages in this section for more information, or navigate this page with the links below.

To explore statistics and visualizations from the most recent presidential election, visit 2020 General Election Turnout.

General Election Turnout Stats

Turnout in Presidential Election Years: 1972 to Present

Table 1: Presidential General Election Voter Turnout (1972–Present) in North Carolina Based on Eligible Voters and Ballots Cast
ElectionTotal Eligible VotersTotal Ballots CastTurnout Percentage
2020 General7,359,7985,545,84875.35%
2016 General6,914,2484,769,64068.98%
2012 General6,639,1314,540,48868.40%
2008 General6,262,5664,354,05269.53%
2004 General5,526,9813,551,67564.26%
2000 General5,122,1233,015,96458.88%
1996 General4,277,0002,513,35758.76%
1992 General3,817,3802,611,85068.40%
1988 General3,432,0402,134,37062.19%
1984 General3,270,9332,239,05168.45%
1980 General2,774,8441,855,83366.88%
1976 General2,553,7171,677,90665.70%
1972 General2,357,6451,518,61264.41%

Turnout in Non-Presidential Election Years: 1974 to Present

Table 2: Non-Presidential General Election Voter Turnout (1974–Present) in North Carolina Based on Eligible Voters and Ballots Cast
ElectionTotal Eligible VotersTotal Ballots CastTurnout Percentage
2022 General7,412,0503,790,20251.14%
2018 General7,089,6573,755,77852.98%
2014 General6,628,5212,918,05244.02%
2010 General6,172,7872,700,39343.57%
2006 General5,567,4242,036,45136.58%
2002 General5,003,2972,349,96646.97%
1998 General4,700,7992,012,14942.80%
1994 General3,635,8751,533,72842.18%
1990 General3,347,6352,068,90461.80%
1986 General3,080,9901,591,33051.65%
1982 General2,674,7871,330,63049.75%
1978 General2,430,3061,135,81446.74%
1974 General2,279,6461,020,36744.76%

Voting Method in Presidential Election Years: 2008 to Present

Table 3: Voting Methods by Presidential General Election (2008–Present) in North Carolina
ElectionAbsentee By-Mail Early VotingElection Day In-PersonProvisional
2020 General18%65%16%<1%
2016 General4%62%33%<1%
2012 General5%56%38%<1%
2008 General5%55.5%38.5%<1%

Percentage of total voters who used each method; Source: statewide voter history

Voting Method in Non-Presidential Election Years: 2006 to Present

Table 4: Voting Methods by Non-Presidential General Election (2006–Present) in North Carolina
ElectionAbsentee By-MailEarly VotingElection Day In-PersonProvisional
2022 General5%53%42%<1%
2018 General3%52%44%<1%
2014 General2%37%60%<1%
2010 General2%33%64%<1%
2006 General2%19%78%<1%

Percentage of total voters who used each method; Source: statewide voter history

Primary Election Turnout Stats

Turnout in Presidential Election Years: 1988 to Present

Table 5: Voter Turnout by Presidential Primary (1988–Present) in North Carolina Based on Eligible Voters and Ballots Cast
ElectionTotal Eligible VotersTotal Ballots CastTurnout Percentage
2024 Primary7,456,2361,800,11824.14%
2020 Primary6,940,9952,164,73131.19%
2016 Primary6,511,1432,323,59035.69%
2012 Primary6,296,7592,182,67534.66%
2008 Primary5,765,3032,182,21536.86%
2004 Primary5,177,764846,54216.35%
2000 Primary4,930,310868,59317.62%
1996 Primary4,034,233781,98019.38%
1992 Primary3,527,187975,44627.66%
1988 Primary3,191,502953,75929.88%

Turnout in Non-Presidential Election Years: 1990 to Present

Table 6: Voter Turnout by Non-Presidential Primary (1990–Present) in North Carolina Based on Eligible Voters and Ballots Cast
ElectionTotal Eligible VotersTotal Ballots CastTurnout Percentage
2022 Primary7,236,4691,432,81919.80%
2018 Primary6,674,290957,62714.35%
2014 Primary6,516,1261,028,60015.79%
2010 Primary6,105,831880,12814.41%
2006 Primary5,460,054651,08611.92%
2002 Primary4,999,7361,060,66721.21%
1998 Primary4,547,438805,31917.71%
1994 Primary3,544,095430,83812.16%
1990 Primary3,147,867538,65117.11%