2022 Primary Election Turnout
North Carolina’s 2022 statewide primary election was on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. The purpose of a primary is to narrow the field of candidates for the general election. The May 2022 election was unique because it included municipal contests rescheduled from 2021. On this page, you can explore turnout statistics for North Carolina’s 2022 primary election and comparative statistics for recent even-year statewide primary elections.
Overall Turnout
Breakdown of voter turnout for North Carolina’s 2022 primary election:
- Eligible voters: 7,236,469
- Ballots cast: 1,432,819
- Turnout: 20%
Voting Methods
Breakdown of voting methods in North Carolina’s 2022 primary election:
- Absentee by mail: 2%
- Early voting: 39%
- In person on Election Day: 59%
- Provisional: <1%
Voter Turnout by Race
The table below shows the breakdown of voter turnout by race in North Carolina’s 2022 primary election.
Race | Votes | Voters | Turnout (%) |
---|---|---|---|
Asian | 8,674 | 111,461 | 7.8% |
Black or African American | 261,170 | 1,490,236 | 17.5% |
American Indian or Alaska Native | 7,196 | 53,838 | 13.4% |
Two Or More Races | 4,393 | 42,812 | 10.3% |
Other | 15,320 | 218,449 | 7.0% |
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 41 | 495 | 8.3% |
Undesignated | 47,929 | 612,897 | 7.8% |
White | 1,087,630 | 4,759,944 | 22.8% |
Voter Turnout by Ethnicity
The table below shows the breakdown of voter turnout by ethnicity in North Carolina’s 2022 primary election.
Ethnicity | Votes | Voters | Turnout (%) |
---|---|---|---|
Hispanic or Latino | 13,767 | 250,497 | 5.5% |
Not Hispanic or Not Latino | 1,163,453 | 5,186,813 | 22.4% |
Undesignated | 255,133 | 1,852,823 | 13.8% |
Absentee By Mail and Early Voting
Explore North Carolina’s 2022 primary election absentee by mail and early voting PDF reports:
- 2022 May 17 Election - Absentee Request Stats PDFs (folder)
- 2022 May 17 Election - Absentee Stats PDFs (folder)
Early Voting Stats
In the table below, see the number of voters who cast a ballot in person during the early voting period, by ballot party type.
Election - Ballot Party Type | Early Voters |
---|---|
2022 Primary - Democratic Ballot | 295,732 |
2022 Primary - Republican Ballot | 287,657 |
2022 Primary - Nonpartisan Ballot | 1,762 |
Total | 585,225 |
Comparative Statistics
Below, explore the turnout data for recent North Carolina statewide primary elections.
Previous Statewide Primary Voter Turnout
In the table below, see the breakdown of voter turnout for the four most recent statewide primary elections, including two midterm and two presidential-year primary elections.
Election | Eligible Voters | Ballots Cast | Turnout (%) |
---|---|---|---|
2020 Primary | 6,940,995 | 2,164,731 | 31% |
2018 Primary (midterm) | 6,674,290 | 957,627 | 14% |
2016 Primary | 6,511,143 | 2,323,590 | 37% |
2014 Primary (midterm) | 6,516,126 | 1,028,600 | 16% |
Previous Statewide Primary Voting Methods
In the table below, see the breakdown of voting methods in the four most recent statewide primary elections, including two midterm and two presidential-year primary elections.
Election | Absentee By Mail (%) | Early Voting (%) | In Person on Election Day (%) | Provisional (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
2020 Primary | 1% | 36% | 62% | <1% |
2018 Primary (midterm) | 1% | 30% | 69% | <1% |
2016 Primary | 2% | 29% | 68% | ~1% |
2014 Primary (midterm) | 1% | 25% | 74% | <1% |
Previous Statewide Primary Voter Turnout, by Party
In North Carolina primary elections, voters affiliated with a political party may only vote for their party’s ballot and may not vote in another party’s primary. Unaffiliated voters may choose any one political party’s ballot or a nonpartisan ballot (if available). In the tables below, see the breakdown of voter turnout in the four most recent statewide Democratic and Republican primary elections.
Note: Data for the Libertarian primary elections were not included for comparison since was no Libertarian primary in 2022.
Democratic Primary Turnout
Election | Democrats Who Voted | Unaffiliated Who Voted |
---|---|---|
2020 Democratic Primary | 954,976 | 388,381 |
2018 Democratic Primary (midterm) | 431,875 | 112,481 |
2016 Democratic Primary | 928,660 | 231,909 |
2014 Democratic Primary (midterm) | 450,194 | 60,873 |
Republican Primary Turnout
Election | Republicans Who Voted | Unaffiliated Who Voted |
---|---|---|
2020 Republican Primary | 606,822 | 201,614 |
2018 Republican Primary (midterm) | 294,295 | 113,425 |
2016 Republican Primary | 846,545 | 309,414 |
2014 Republican Primary (midterm) | 393,439 | 112,728 |
Data sources: voter history stats for 2020, 2018, 2016, and 2014 primary elections.
Previous Statewide Primary Absentee By Mail and Early Voter Turnout
In the 2018 statewide primary, over 295,000 North Carolinians voted early or absentee by mail. Explore the daily absentee by mail and early voting PDF reports here: 2018 May 8 Election - Absentee Request Stats PDFs (folder).