Battleground state voting data reveals over 200K votes cast in red counties impacted by hurricane

Over 2.8 million ballots have since been cast in North Carolina, which represents 36% of the registered voters population in the state, according to the North Carolina Board of Elections (NCSBE).

Of the ballots cast, 2.5 million were early votes, while 151,000 were absentee ballots.

The data represents an increase in early voting since the same time in 2016, eight days before the election, which saw 1.6 million ballots cast. However, 2020 saw 3.1 million early votes during that time in the cycle, in big part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data also shows that 1.42% more Democrats than Republicans have cast their vote, as of Sunday.

The NCSBE identified 13 counties as being most impacted by Hurricane Helene, but Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the state Board of Elections, told reporters on Friday that the affected areas are seeing "tremendous turnout."

Since early voting started, over 218,000 have already been cast in the western counties, despite damage from the disastrous storm.

To ensure voting access for residents in the affected areas, North Carolina lawmakers passed a bill on Thursday to require that the 13 counties open one early voting site per 30,000 individuals.

Those identified in western North Carolina as most impacted have seen tens of thousands of votes cast, as of Sunday: Ashe [7,541], Avery [3,823], Buncombe [78,645], Haywood [19,079], Henderson [31,158], Madison [6,036], McDowell [11,205], Mitchell [4,224], Polk [7,270], Rutherford [14,873], Transylvania [11,804], Watauga [16,993], and Yancey [5,477].