More than 1 million North Carolinians have voted early in the November general election, according to state officials.
On Sunday, the North Carolina State Board of Elections said that 1,008,123 ballots have been cast so far in the 2024 election, including 916,433 ballots cast in person, 77,831 civilian absentee ballots and nearly 14,000 military and overseas absentee ballots.
Early voting in the Tar Heel State began on Oct. 17 and ends on Nov. 2.
"My sincerest thanks goes out to the county boards of elections and the thousands of election workers around the state who are making this happen," Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the state election board, said in a statement. "It has been an incredibly busy few days. Please thank those in your community who are making sure your vote counts."
Board officials said the early voting turnout represents approximately 13% of North Carolina's 7.8 million registered voters.
Republicans filed a lawsuit against the North Carolina State Board of Elections in late September over its recent decision to allow the use of University of North Carolina (UNC) digital IDs for voting. The trial judge rejected the GOP's request to block the use of digital IDs, ruling that the law did not ban the use of digital identification cards.
"Plaintiffs have not advanced any credible link between the State Board's approval of Mobile One Cards and heightened risk of ineligible voters casting illegal Votes," Wake Superior Court Judge Keith Gregory said. "An unqualified voter cannot use Mobile One Card to register to vote or vote. The Mobile One Card simply helps already registered voters prove their identity when they cast Ballot."
Though students and employees can obtain physical IDs, the digital UNC One Card is the main form of ID given by the school.
Ballot distribution hit another snag after former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. successfully sued to remove his name from the North Carolina ballot, forcing state officials to reprint them.
North Carolina followed Georgia in announcing that 1 million ballots had been cast during the early voting period.
According to RealClearPolitics' polling average, Trump is leading Harris in North Carolina by a razor-thin margin, 48.4%-47.9%.