Early Vote Day Report: Day 2
Data through Friday, Oct. 16, 2026
Snapshot
Through Friday, the second day of early voting, North Carolinians have cast 437,217 ballots in person and by mail. That is 34% more than at the same point in 2022, and 5.5% of all registered voters. 195,439 voted in person on Friday, 47% more than on 2022's second day of early voting (132,506).
Top takeaways
- Republicans made up more of Friday's ballots than the first day's. Friday's 197,774 ballots were 43.6% Democratic, 21.9% Republican and 34.3% unaffiliated. Day 1's were 47.4% Democratic, 19.9% Republican and 32.5% unaffiliated. On 2022's Friday, the split was 38.4% Democratic, 32.1% Republican and 29.3% unaffiliated.
- The Democratic turnout edge widened to 4.7 points on Friday. 8.5% of registered Democrats have voted and 3.9% of registered Republicans; after Thursday the gap was 2.8. On 2022's Friday it moved +0.1 points, to 0.9.
- Friday's voters were younger than on the first day. 52.5% were 65 or older, against 58.4% on the first day; 22.4% were Black, against 23.5%. On 2022's Friday: 54.6% and 17.6%.
- Among the seats to watch, the Democratic turnout edge grew most on Friday in HD-115 and HD-74. Their gaps between the share of registered Democrats and Republicans who have voted grew +3.8 and +2.8 points, to 8.2 and 7.3. It grew least in HD-63 (+0.9, to 3.2).
