{"id":2356407,"date":"2024-10-17T19:29:01","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T23:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nc-early-voting-may-surpass-first-day-record-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-10-17T19:33:22","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T23:33:22","slug":"nc-early-voting-may-surpass-first-day-record-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nc-early-voting-may-surpass-first-day-record-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"NC early voting may surpass first-day record &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnc-early-voting-may-surpass-first-day-record-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2356407&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Early voting began in North Carolina on October 17, 2024, amid the recovery efforts\u2064 following Hurricane Helene, which had significantly impacted the state&#8217;s western region. Governor Roy Cooper expressed gratitude to the North Carolina Board of Elections for facilitating voter access and encouraged residents to participate in the democratic process. Early turnout was reported as &#8220;terrific,&#8221; \u200bpotentially \u200bsetting a record for initial voting days, despite concerns over misinformation related to FEMA&#8217;s response to the hurricane.<\/p>\n<p>Representative Chuck Edwards indicated that he believed \u2064the misinformation circulating online \u200cwould not\u2063 negatively \u2064affect voter turnout, emphasizing that constituents were primarily focused on recovery. Both major parties have intensified their campaign efforts in North Carolina, with prominent figures like\u2064 J.D. Vance and Tim Walz conducting rallies to mobilize\u200b support.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump campaign has also advocated for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judgment-day-new-election-laws-set-to-shape-how-millions-vote-in-november\/\" title=\"New Election Laws to Influence November Voting\">expanded voter access<\/a> in Western \u200dNorth Carolina, \u2064a region generally supportive of Republicans, urging state officials to implement \u200bten \u2062voting access improvements. As early voting progresses, the political atmosphere in North Carolina remains\u2063 vibrant and contentious, with high engagement from voters.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">First day of early voting in North Carolina could set new record despite Helene<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1778550\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Voter turnout on the first day of early voting in the critical battleground state of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/north-carolina\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>North Carolina<\/a> is on track to surpass all previous records despite the horrific toll that Hurricane Helene has taken on the state&rsquo;s western region.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The North Carolina State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell told reporters in Asheville, Thursday afternoon that turnout had been &ldquo;terrific&rdquo; thus far statewide.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3145190\/how-to-vote-dates-deadlines-know-about-before-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">VOTER REGISTRATION AND EARLY VOTING: KEY DATES AND DEADLINES IN THE 2024 ELECTION<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is anticipated that this may actually be our best early voting day ever, or at least for the opening day, which is what we experienced in 2020. So, we&rsquo;ll see,&rdquo; said Brinson Bell.<\/p>\n<p>Early voting <a href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/dl.ncsbe.gov\/One-Stop_Early_Voting\/2024\/Early-Voting-Site-List-2024-General.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>hours<\/a> at locations statewide fluctuate depending on the day and week. As of Thursday, the state had early voting open in all 100 counties, including 76 early voting sites in the 25 counties severely hit by the hurricane.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Early voting has started in North Carolina! There&rsquo;s a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/north-carolina-dmv-expands-services-in-grocery-stores-adding-kiosks\/\" title=\"NC DMV expands services in grocery stores with kiosks.\">pretty long line<\/a> here at the Hemby Bridge Volunteer Fire Dept. in Union County. <\/p>\n<p>Let me know if you have any questions about the process or voting that we can help answer. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/votingmatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#votingmatters<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Election2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Election2024<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/earlyvoting?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#earlyvoting<\/a>&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pdAzTAMz9Q\">pic.twitter.com\/pdAzTAMz9Q<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jason Puckett (@JasonPWBTV) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JasonPWBTV\/status\/1846910014381805914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 17, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Not far away in Georgia, early voting commenced Tuesday with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3189276\/early-voting-georgia-hits-record-high-first-day-trump-comeback\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>record-high number<\/a> of early voters casting ballots on the first day of an election in a presidential race year.<\/p>\n<p>The high turn-out in both states comes after greater excitement in the Democratic Party for the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris following President Joe Biden&rsquo;s stepping aside, as well as efforts by former President Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee to encourage early voting. Republicans have generally preferred to vote on Election Day rather than voting ahead of time.<\/p>\n<p>Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) encouraged residents to vote and thanked people who had helped people out west recover from the historic storm in late September and put them in a better position to be able to vote now.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Today is the first day of early voting in NC. Thank you to the North Carolina Board of Elections for your hard work helping ensure people can exercise their right to vote, especially in WNC following Helene. Find your county&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pence-national-review-heres-why-dems-for-the-people-act-is-dangerous\/\" title=\"Pence, National Review: Here\u2019s Why Dems\u2019 \u2018For The People Act\u2019 Is Dangerous\">early voting locations<\/a> at http:\/\/vt.ncsbe.gov,&rdquo; Cooper wrote in a post to X on Thursday.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Today is the first day of early voting in NC. Thank you to the North Carolina Board of Elections for your hard work helping ensure people can exercise their right to vote, especially in WNC following Helene. Find your county&rsquo;s early voting locations at <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jK3ZBss5vO\">https:\/\/t.co\/jK3ZBss5vO<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NC_Governor\/status\/1846911034436485591?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 17, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) told CNN in an interview Thursday morning that he did not believe false information spread online over the past three weeks since the storm had had a significant impact on voters.<\/p>\n<p>In the weeks since Helene swept through North Carolina on Sept. 28, misinformation and disinformation have circulated online that falsely claim that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is not sending in resources to the affected area; that the Federal Aviation Administration has restricted airspace to prevent air rescues; that the government geoengineered the hurricane; and that FEMA was short of funding to respond to further hurricanes because it had diverted money to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/derailed-tankers-in-ohio-contained-four-more-toxic-chemicals-epa-says\/\" title=\"Derailed Tankers in Ohio Contained Four More Toxic Chemicals, EPA Says\">cover costs related<\/a> to the southern border crisis.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think that the misinformation, the rumors that have been out there are going to affect voting at all,&rdquo; Edwards said. &ldquo;I believe that while here in Western North Carolina we&rsquo;ve been very busy, not necessarily paying attention to politics but trying to dig out from underneath this storm and help people put their lives back together. And now that early voting has kicked off today, it is clear, it&rsquo;s apparent that the political season is here.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepChuckEdwards?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@RepChuckEdwards<\/a> on the first day of early, in-person voting in North Carolina: &#8220;I don&#8217;t think that the misinformation, the rumors that have been out there are going to affect voting at all&hellip; The political season is here and I&#8217;ll just encourage everyone to make a plan&hellip;&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/As2LklyL3M\">pic.twitter.com\/As2LklyL3M<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; CNN This Morning with Kasie Hunt (@CNNThisMorning) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CNNThisMorning\/status\/1846879785428877326?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 17, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Both campaigns have hammered North Carolina in recent days with voter events and rallies across the state. On Wednesday evening, Trump running mate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) rallied voters in the southeastern beach town of Wilmington.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday afternoon, Harris running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3193373\/comeback-kid-bill-clinton-stumps-underdog-harris-north-carolina\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"joined former President Bill Clinton\">joined former President Bill Clinton<\/a> in Durham for a campaign event then was slated to be in Winston Salem later in the day with rapper Common.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3189720\/election-2024-mail-in-voting-ballot-tracking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ELECTION 2024: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MAIL-IN VOTING<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Trump campaign has pushed elected officials in the state to expand voter access across Western North Carolina, a stronghold region for Republicans. Although the region includes the Democratic-majority city of Asheville, the suburban and rural areas are largely Republican and the region.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump campaign has pushed for 10 actions from Cooper and the North Carolina General Assembly, which have the power to change voting policies.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These 10 improvements in voting access in North Carolina will ensure the people who have already suffered from the storm don&rsquo;t lose their right to participate in this important election,&rdquo; said Trump-Vance campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita in a&nbsp;statement&nbsp;issued Oct. 8.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s team called for all voters in impacted counties to be able to vote anywhere in the county, not just the local precinct they were assigned.<\/p>\n<p>Demands included giving election teams the ability to deliver absentee ballots to the county boards; allowing displaced voters to deliver their ballots to a different county or to the state election board, as well as to turn in provisional ballots on Election Day to neighboring counties; and providing emergency funding for additional communication to reach voters by digital, radio, broadcast, and text.<\/p>\n<p>The Republican candidate also pushed for early voting site times in the impacted counties to include Sunday and expanded in other ways in the region; temporary structures to be set up for early voting and on Election Day; and waiving the residency requirement for poll workers, poll observers, and election officials in affected counties.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It remained unclear as of Thursday if the state has bent to the Trump campaign and Republican National Committee&rsquo;s demands to make broad accommodations for voters in the state&rsquo;s western region.<\/p>\n<p>Early voting has gotten underway in a number of states, including in battleground states Arizona and Georgia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1778550\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1778550\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Early voting in North Carolina may break records despite Hurricane Helene&#8217;s impact<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2655,"featured_media":2356408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/early-voting-north-carolina.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[25322,33269,4752],"class_list":["post-2356407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-early-voting","tag-nc","tag-record"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/early-voting-north-carolina.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2356407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2655"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2356407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2356407\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2356408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2356407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2356407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2356407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}