(The Center Square) – Democrats’ gains in voter registrations outperformed the total overall net changes in North Carolina for the most recent seven-day update by the State Board of Elections, according to analysis by The Center Square.
Democrats on Saturday had 2,544 more registrations than a week earlier. Overall, the state’s increase was 2,245. The unaffiliated bloc was 220 less and Republicans were 88 fewer.
North Carolina entered the last week of early in-person voting – final day is Saturday – with 7,888,353 total registrations. The breakdown is 40.2% unaffiliated (3,170,174), 29.6% Democrats (2,336,176) and 29.5% Republicans (2,330,303).
The state’s registered voters began receiving absentee by mail ballots and casting ballots on Sept. 4. The 61-day window, longest in the nation, closes when polls close at 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
The Center Square analyzes the registration trend as part of its mission for reporting taxpayers' views, government accountability, and the intersection at the ballot box that will shape policy impacting Americans across multiple areas.
Voter roll maintenance, standard and as required by state law, and a trend away from parties since Election Day 2024 have continued to swell the independents and weaken the major parties in registration numbers.
Voters will choose a U.S. senator, all 14 members of the U.S. House, and all 170 members of the General Assembly. One state Supreme Court seat and a number of judges, district attorneys, and county level offices are on the state's second-longest ballot of the four-year cycles.
Three constitutional amendments are also on the ballot.