NC primary had more Democrats voting. How does it compare to past years?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Over 1.5M voters cast ballots, 19.64% turnout, per state board
- Democratic primary led Republican by just under 200,000 votes (57% vs 43%)
- Early/mail voting rose to over 715,000; early voters: 58% Dem, 41% Rep
A first look at turnout in this year’s North Carolina primaries shows voters — particularly Democratic voters — were engaged, even without a heavily competitive statewide top-of-the-ticket race.
Over 1.5 million people voted, according to unofficial results from the state’s Board of Elections, representing a 19.64% turnout.
Of those voters, about 1.45 million participated in the marquee U.S. Senate primaries, which featured former Gov. Roy Cooper on the Democratic side and former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley on the Republican side.
Just under 57% cast ballots in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, compared with just over 43% in the Republican primary. That roughly flips the two parties’ shares in the last midterm primary, in 2022.
About 200,000 more voters participated in the Democratic primary this year than the Republican one.
The state’s election board has not yet released a comprehensive look at turnout, and some outstanding ballots still need to be tallied, such as provisional and absentee ballots. That’s a normal process post-elections.
This turnout comes despite no heavily contested races at the top of the ticket on either side. Both Cooper and Whatley were expected to and did win their respective primaries and will face off in November. Other contests included U.S. House races, state legislative seats, and local races, such as for district attorney in Wake County.
How does it compare to past primaries?
The previous primary in the state was in 2024, when presidential candidates were on the ballot ahead of the general election. Turnout is higher in presidential-year primaries, and that year it was 24.14% (about 1.8 million ballots cast) with Donald Trump and Joe Biden winning their respective North Carolina primaries. Of the voters who participated in the presidential contest, about 39% voted in the Democratic primary (which was uncontested as Biden was the only option) and about 60% in the Republican primary.
The last North Carolina primary without a presidential contest was in 2022. That year, 19.80% of eligible voters turned out with about 1.4 million ballots cast. Contested U.S. Senate races were also on the ballot that year, with Cheri Beasley winning the Democratic primary and Ted Budd winning the Republican primary.
Just under 55% of voters cast ballots in that year’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate, compared with just over 44% in the Democratic primary for the race.
That was a gap of about 145,000 votes.
The president’s party tends to fare worse in midterm elections.
Early voting surge among Democrats
This year saw an early voting surge. Over 715,000 people voted early or by mail, representing a 9.29% turnout.
Among those voters, about 58% voted in the Democratic primary and 41% in the Republican primary.
Of unaffiliated voters, 55% chose the Democratic ballot.
Registered Democrats turned out at 12.88% and Republicans at 8.65%. That means almost 50% more registered Democrats voted than Republicans.
By comparison, in 2022, over 585,000 people voted early or by mail. That’s an 8.03% turnout.
Just over 50% of early voters in 2022 participated in the Democratic primary and just under 50% in the Republican primary. Registered Democrats turned out at 9.4% and Republicans at 8.7%.
Of unaffiliated voters in 2022 early voting, 61% chose the Republican ballot.
