(The Center Square) – Nearly 50,000 absentee ballots requested of North Carolina’s 100 county boards of elections went into the mail Friday, a day ahead of the weekly seven-day update of registrations, with eight in 10 voters choosing to register as independent with no party affiliation.
Litigation uncertainty aside, the state began the 61-day window to Nov. 3 as planned. At least nine voters, using the online portal available to military and overseas voters, have cast their choices in the midterms.
No state has a longer voting window. Absentee requests do not require a reason; anyone can file with their respective counties. The deadline for an absentee ballot in the mail to be in a county election board office is when the polls close at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 3; the request deadline is 5 p.m. on Oct. 20.
The Center Square analyzes the registration trend as part of its mission for reporting taxpayers' views, government accountability, and the intersection at the ballot box that will shape policy impacting Americans across multiple areas.
Voter roll maintenance, standard and as required by state law, and a trend away from parties since Election Day 2024 have continued to swell the independents and weaken the major parties in registration numbers.
The nation’s ninth largest state at 11.2 million is at 7,841,737 registrations, up 1,826 from the general election in 2024, up 133,477 since the March 3 primary, and up 4,672 in the most recent seven-day period updated by the State Board of Elections.
Those choosing independence number 3,141,827 (40.1%), Republican 2,328,738 (29.7%) and Democrat 2,319,801 (29.6%). The unaffiliated bloc is ahead of Democrats by 822,026 and ahead of Republicans by 813,089. Republicans are ahead of Democrats by 8,937.
Last week, unaffiliateds snagged 3,756 of 4,672 net change in registrations (80.4%). Democrats increased 696 and Republicans were up 212.
Since the presidential cycle November election two years ago, also North Carolina’s longest ballot, the state’s voter registrations choosing no affiliation to a party has grown 182,821. Democrats have lost 132,946 and Republicans have lost 18,334.
Since this year’s primary 27 weeks ago, the unaffiliated bloc has grown 120,617 while Republicans have gained 6,495 and Democrats have gained 6,153.
The state does recognize two other parties. The Libertarian Party total registrations are 46,539 (lost 12 last week) and the Green Party has 4,832 (up 20 last week).
Oct. 9 is the registration deadline.
North Carolinians will choose a U.S. senator, all 14 members of the U.S. House, and all 170 members of the General Assembly. One state Supreme Court seat and a number of judges, district attorneys, and county level offices are on the state's second-longest ballot of the four-year cycles.
For context in the change of landscape, at what is generally considered a landmark Election Day in 2008, the state’s total registrations were 6,264,733. Those unaffiliated numbered just under 1.4 million (22.2%) while Democrats’ 2,866,669 had 45.8% share and Republicans’ 2,002,416 was a 32% share. Barack Obama became the first Democrat since Jimmy Carter in 1976 to carry the state, by a mere 14,177 votes of more than 4.3 million cast, on the way to winning the White House.
Neither Obama or Carter managed to carry the state in their reelection bids.
The state’s lone U.S. Senate seat in 2008 was won by Democrat Kay Hagan, and the 13 U.S. House seats were divvied up eight Democrats and five Republicans. Democrats are 0-5 in Senate races since.
The Council of State went 8-2 to Democrats. Incumbent Republicans’ Steve Troxler and Cherie Berry remained commissioners of agriculture and labor, respectively. And the General Assembly was 30-20 Democrats in the Senate and 68-52 Democrats in the House of Representatives.
Today, Republicans have won the state in the presidential race 13 of the last 15 contests (1968-present), five consecutive U.S. Senate races (2010-present), and two years ago captured 10 of 14 seats for the U.S. House.
The Council of State is a 5-5 split. On Election Day 2024, the General Assembly majorities were 30-20 Republicans in the Senate and 71-49 Republicans in the House of Representatives.
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