2022 Statewide Primary Election Turnout
Overview
North Carolina's 2022 statewide primary was 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 also included municipal contests rescheduled from 2021.
Explore turnout statistics for the May 2022 elections as they become available, as well as comparative statistics for recent even-year primary elections.
2022 Statewide Primary Voter Turnout
In the table below, see the breakdown of voter turnout for North Carolina's 2022 primaries.
| Election | Eligible Voters | Ballots Cast | % Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Primary | 7,236,469 | 1,432,819 | 20% |
2022 Statewide Primary Voting Methods
In the table below, see the breakdown of voting method used by voters in North Carolina's 2022 primaries.
| Election | Absentee By Mail | Early Voting | In Person on Election Day | Provisional |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Primary | 2% | 39% | 59% | <1% |
2022 Statewide Primary Voting Turnout, by Race
In the table below, see the breakdown of voter turnout by race in North Carolina's 2022 primaries.
| 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% |
2022 Statewide Primary Voting Turnout, by Ethnicity
In the table below, see the breakdown of voter turnout by ethnicity in North Carolina's 2022 primaries.
| 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
This section includes data related to absentee and early voting in the 2022 primary election.
Daily absentee 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 | Number of 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 statewide primaries. Navigate the visualizations at the bottom of the page to find early voting data for recent statewide primaries.
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 primaries and two presidential-year primaries.
| 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 method used by voters in the four most recent statewide primary elections, including two midterm primaries and two presidential-year primaries.
| 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 the tables below, see the breakdown of voters who voted in the four most recent statewide Democratic and Republican primary elections, broken down by voters' party affiliation. Data for the Libertarian primary elections were not included for comparison since there will be 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 Voting Turnout
For the 2018 statewide primary, more than 295,000 North Carolinians voted via early voting or absentee by mail.
Daily absentee PDF reports from 2018 are available here: