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.

2024 Primary Election Turnout

View turnout statistics for the 2024 primary election.

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
Election	Total Eligible Voters	Total Ballots Cast	Turnout Percentage
2020 General	7,359,798	5,545,848	75.35%
2016 General	6,914,248	4,769,640	68.98%
2012 General	6,639,131	4,540,488	68.40%
2008 General	6,262,566	4,354,052	69.53%
2004 General	5,526,981	3,551,675	64.26%
2000 General	5,122,123	3,015,964	58.88%
1996 General	4,277,000	2,513,357	58.76%
1992 General	3,817,380	2,611,850	68.40%
1988 General	3,432,040	2,134,370	62.19%
1984 General	3,270,933	2,239,051	68.45%
1980 General	2,774,844	1,855,833	66.88%
1976 General	2,553,717	1,677,906	65.70%
1972 General	2,357,645	1,518,612	64.41%

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
Election	Total Eligible Voters	Total Ballots Cast	Turnout Percentage
2022 General	7,412,050	3,790,202	51.14%
2018 General	7,089,657	3,755,778	52.98%
2014 General	6,628,521	2,918,052	44.02%
2010 General	6,172,787	2,700,393	43.57%
2006 General	5,567,424	2,036,451	36.58%
2002 General	5,003,297	2,349,966	46.97%
1998 General	4,700,799	2,012,149	42.80%
1994 General	3,635,875	1,533,728	42.18%
1990 General	3,347,635	2,068,904	61.80%
1986 General	3,080,990	1,591,330	51.65%
1982 General	2,674,787	1,330,630	49.75%
1978 General	2,430,306	1,135,814	46.74%
1974 General	2,279,646	1,020,367	44.76%

Voting Method in Presidential Election Years: 2008 to Present

Table 3: Voting Methods by Presidential General Election (2008–Present) in North Carolina
Election	Absentee By-Mail	Early Voting	Election Day In-Person	Provisional
2020 General	18%	65%	16%	<1%
2016 General	4%	62%	33%	<1%
2012 General	5%	56%	38%	<1%
2008 General	5%	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
Election	Absentee By-Mail	Early Voting	Election Day In-Person	Provisional
2022 General	5%	53%	42%	<1%
2018 General	3%	52%	44%	<1%
2014 General	2%	37%	60%	<1%
2010 General	2%	33%	64%	<1%
2006 General	2%	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
Election	Total Eligible Voters	Total Ballots Cast	Turnout Percentage
2024 Primary	7,456,236	1,800,118	24.14%
2020 Primary	6,940,995	2,164,731	31.19%
2016 Primary	6,511,143	2,323,590	35.69%
2012 Primary	6,296,759	2,182,675	34.66%
2008 Primary	5,765,303	2,182,215	36.86%
2004 Primary	5,177,764	846,542	16.35%
2000 Primary	4,930,310	868,593	17.62%
1996 Primary	4,034,233	781,980	19.38%
1992 Primary	3,527,187	975,446	27.66%
1988 Primary	3,191,502	953,759	29.88%

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
Election	Total Eligible Voters	Total Ballots Cast	Turnout Percentage
2022 Primary	7,236,469	1,432,819	19.80%
2018 Primary	6,674,290	957,627	14.35%
2014 Primary	6,516,126	1,028,600	15.79%
2010 Primary	6,105,831	880,128	14.41%
2006 Primary	5,460,054	651,086	11.92%
2002 Primary	4,999,736	1,060,667	21.21%
1998 Primary	4,547,438	805,319	17.71%
1994 Primary	3,544,095	430,838	12.16%
1990 Primary	3,147,867	538,651	17.11%