2021 Municipal Election Turnout

In 2021, 463 municipalities across 91 counties held elections. More than 890 contests determined mayors, council members, aldermen, and other local seats. More than 2,500 candidates filed to run for office in 2021. To view candidate listings, visit our Candidate Lists page.

Below, explore turnout statistics for the October and November 2021 municipal elections, as well as comparative statistics for recent municipal election years.

Note: The 2021 data does not include 30+ municipalities that postponed their elections to 2022 (see Elections Postponed in Several North Carolina Municipalities).

Overall Turnout

In 2021, more than 338,000 North Carolinians voted in at least one municipal election. This section contains turnout statistics for the October and November municipal elections.

2021 Municipal Elections Voter Turnout

See the breakdown of voter turnout by election date.

Table 1: North Carolina Voter Turnout by Election Date in the 2021 Municipal Elections
Election	Voters Registered in Municipalities with Elections	Ballots Cast	Turnout (%)
10/5/2021	314,052	28,748	9%
11/2/2021	2,081,396	336,410	16%

2021 Municipal Elections Voter Turnout by Voting Method

See the percentages of voters who voted by mail, in person during early voting, in person on Election Day, and provisionally.

Table 2: North Carolina Voter Turnout by Election Date and Voting Method in the 2021 Municipal Elections
Election	By Mail (%)	Early Voting (%)	In Person on Election Day (%)	Provisional (%)
10/5/2021	2%	39%	58%	<1%
11/2/2021	1.5%	26%	72%	<1%

Comparative Statistics

Explore the turnout data for all participating municipalities during the three previous municipal election years below. For all previous elections results, visit the Election Results Dashboard.

2019 Municipal Elections Voter Turnout

In 2019, more than 630,000 North Carolina voters voted in at least one municipal election. In the table below, see the breakdown of voter turnout by election.

Table 3: North Carolina Voter Turnout by Election Date in the 2019 Municipal Elections
Election	Voters Registered in Municipalities with Elections	Ballots Cast	Turnout (%)
9/10/2019	530,697	114,876*	22%*
10/8/2019	917,916	118,835	13%
11/5/2019	3,073,903	500,640	16%

*For the 9/10/2019 election, City of Charlotte voters voted for municipal contests as well as a federal contest.

2017 Municipal Elections Voter Turnout

In 2017, more than 650,000 North Carolina voters voted in at least one municipal election. In the table below, see the breakdown of voter turnout by election.

Table 4: North Carolina Voter Turnout by Election Date in the 2017 Municipal Elections
Election	Voters Registered in Municipalities with Elections	Ballots Cast	Turnout (%)
9/12/2017	588,267	45,140	8%
10/10/2017	1,323,322	158,036	12%
11/7/2017	3,569,497	600,443	17%

2015 Municipal Elections Voter Turnout

In 2015, more than 485,000 North Carolina voters voted in at least one municipal election. In the table below, see the breakdown of voter turnout by election.

Table 5: North Carolina Voter Turnout by Election Date in the 2015 Municipal Elections
Election	Voters Registered in Municipalities with Elections	Ballots Cast	Turnout (%)
9/15/2015	514,043	45,319	9%
10/6/2015	1,483,728	122,031	8%
11/3/2015	3,090,134	422,016	14%