SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Statewide, there has been a 23% increase in early voting since the last time North Carolina held a primary election during a midterm year.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections held a press conference earlier Tuesday, as Primary Election Day is underway. According to state board Executive Director Sam Hayes, an uptick in early voting numbers is trending across most counties. More than 700,000 voters already have been to the polls for the 2026 primary election.
READ MORE: Primary Voter Guide 2026: Tri-county candidates
“When including absentee voting, 714,000 voters cast ballots through Monday,” Hayes explained, noting around 580,000 or so were “cast at the same point in 2022.”
A boost also has been felt in New Hanover County, with around 14,271 voters having shown up to the polls during the 15-day early voting period, which closed Saturday, Feb. 28. This exceeded the 12,880 voters who cast ballots early in 2022, making for a 10% increase in early-voter turnout.
Of this year’s numbers, 9,517 Democratic ballots have come in so far, with 4,754 people casting a Republican ballot. There are 185,945 registered voters in New Hanover County, up 5% since four years ago.
New Hanover County doesn’t break down how many ballot casters are unaffiliated voters, who can choose either a Democratic or Republican ballot to vote in a primary election. Unaffiliated voters lead other registrations in New Hanover County at 80,531, with Republicans trailing behind at 55,022, Democrats at 48,906, and Libertarians at 1,349.
In Brunswick County, around 144,723 are registered to vote, with 41% making up Republicans, 39% unaffiliated and 19% Democrats. So far, 15,354 voters have turned out to the polls during the 2026 early voting period, compared to just more than 9,100 in 2022. That’s a 68% increase since the last midterm primary election.
Republican ballots have been cast most in Brunswick County so far — around 10,077, with 3,314 coming from unaffiliated voters. Democratic ballots total 5,277, with 1,846 being unaffiliated voters.
Overall, voter registration has increased in the county since 2022, by 19%. Brunswick County is the fastest-growing in the state and one of the most highly sought after places to relocate to nationwide, seeing a 24% population growth since 2020.
A Pender County spokesperson said of the 53,508 voters registered in the county, 4,982 have cast a ballot early this year. Republicans lead the voter makeup in Pender County at 22,176, followed by 20,740 unaffiliated voters and 10,170 Democrats. There were roughly 8,127 voters in the 2022 primary overall out of the then-45,974 registered; it was unclear how many early voters turned out in 2022, as the question went unanswered by the county.
Various races are part of the primary election in the tri-county region, including both school and commissioner boards, but also state and federal races, such as North Carolina’s 7th Congressional District. The latter includes incumbent Republican David Rouzer facing off against Republican David Buzzard, with the winner moving on to the general election against Democratic candidate Kimberly Hardy.
Primary Election Day polls close statewide at 7:30 p.m. with the county boards expected to begin uploading results on the state board site here; early numbers will include absentee and early votes, with in-person election day results folding in thereafter.
All results will be unofficial until the canvass, to be held March 13. The general election is scheduled to take place Tuesday, Nov. 3, with early voting opening Oct. 15.
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