Orange County Surpasses 2014 Early Voting Total

The 3,166 votes cast over the weekend across the five early voting locations in Orange County pushed the 2018 early voting numbers beyond the 2014 mid-term early voting totals with a week of early voting remaining.

The Orange County Board of Elections is reporting that 25,482 voters have turned out through Sunday. There were a total of 23,194 votes cast during the early voting period in 2014.

There are twice as many days of early voting this year when compared with the last mid-term. There have also been multiple Souls to the Polls events encouraging Sunday voting in Orange County; this is the first election cycle where early voting has been permitted in the county. Despite the five sites being open just two hours on Sundays, there have been 2,238 votes over the two Sundays included in this year’s early voting schedule.

The pace of voters slowed near the end of last week but vote totals were higher on Saturday, October 27, than the first Saturday of early voting, October 20.

It is unlikely Orange County will match the early voting turnout from the 2016 election, which spanned 15 days and totaled 59,766 votes. But early voting is continuing through Saturday, November 3, and turnout typically spikes over the final days of early voting.

Same-day registration is allowed during the early voting period, where voters can register and vote at the same time. The registration deadline in order to vote on Election Day has passed.

New state law sets weekday hours during the early voting period from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. at each early voting location, of which there are five in Orange County. All five sites will be open uniform hours, under the new law, including from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturdays and 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Sundays. October 28 was the final Sunday in this year’s early voting period.

Early voting locations are consistent with recent elections in Orange County – the Board of Elections office in Hillsborough, Carrboro Town Hall, Chapel of the Cross near the UNC campus, the Seymour Center and Efland Ruritan Club.

Early voting concludes November 3 and Election Day is November 6.