By Michael Bitzer
Through the first 10 days of early voting, North Carolina’s 2026 primary electorate is not just ahead of past cycles—it is potentially reshaping expectations about which party is energized, who is participating, and how they’re voting.
In daily totals1, 2026 is standing out as a remarkable primary election so far—33 percent ahead of the 2022 mid-term primary early voting (on the same date) and 16 percent ahead of 2024’s primary early voting.
We’ll need to watch carefully a couple aspects to this trend: will the last week taper off in terms of daily numbers, are these consistent/persistent primary voters (compared to the last two primary elections), and if so, are they shifting their ballot casting earlier, or new voters coming (more on this later)?
