Midterm Early Voting Reaches Final Hours in North Carolina
Voters face a 3 p.m. deadline to cast ballots or register during the final stretch of early voting in North Carolina.
Early voting is wrapping up in major midterm battlegrounds as states record heavy turnout. In North Carolina, voters have until 3 p.m. today to cast a ballot or complete same-day registration before the early voting period officially closes.
State law permits individuals to register and vote on the same visit during the early voting period, a provision that is not available on Election Day. Anyone needing to update their name or address must bring supporting documentation, and a photo ID is required to participate.
Voters holding absentee ballots can return them directly to an early voting site before the 3 p.m. deadline, submit them to the county elections board, or send them by mail. Alternatively, voters may hand-deliver their mail ballots to the county board on Monday or Tuesday prior to the close of polls at 7:30 p.m., noting that ballots arriving after that time will be rejected.
Participation has reached historic levels in the state, breaking previous midterm records. Approximately one-third of eligible voters had participated through Friday, accounting for roughly 2.6 million ballots. Democratic and unaffiliated voters represent about three-quarters of those totals, with Wake County alone recording nearly 311,000 votes.
Meanwhile, early voting concluded Friday night in Texas with Harris County logging its highest midterm total in history. Harris County recorded 1,081,010 early voters, representing about 39% of its 2.7 million registered voters, with Friday marking the busiest day of the period as 126,397 people voted in person.
Severe weather recently impacted travel near Houston, where thunderstorms prompted ground stops at George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration lifted the ground stops by early afternoon, though Bush Airport continued to experience lingering delays of an hour or more.
Official voting for Election Day is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3. North Carolina polling locations will remain open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., requiring voters to visit their assigned precincts, while Harris County polls will operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. across any designated county vote center.