By Jon Evans | October 8, 2020 at 6:10 PM EDT – Updated October 8 at 6:10 PM
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Most absentee ballots cast from the five-county area of southeastern North Carolina for the 2020 general election are from registered democratic voters, according to an analysis of data provided by the North Carolina State Board of Elections. It is important to note that voters can support candidates of any party in a general election.
Through Wednesday, October 7th, 420,695 voters across North Carolina have cast absentee by mail general election ballots, including 28,236 voters in the five counties of the Cape Fear area. According to the NCSBE website data, 14,216 of those ballots were submitted by registered voters in New Hanover County. More than half of the county’s total, 7,198, are from registered democratic voters. Unaffiliated voters have cast 4,478 ballots and registered republican voters have sent in 2,477 ballots in New Hanover County.
The party breakdown of the submitted absentee by mail votes follows a similar pattern in the other four counties. In Brunswick County, 4,407 of the 10,521 absentee ballots cast so far are from registered democrats (unaffiliated voters cast 3,753 and republicans 2,337) as of October 7. Registered democrats have cast 874 of the 1,842 absentee ballots in Pender County (unaffiliated = 550, republican = 412), 643 of the 941 ballots in Columbus County (unaffiliated voters submitted 173 so far, republicans 122) and 459 of the 716 already cast in Bladen county (unaffiliated at 143, republican at 114).
New Hanover County also has the highest number of requested absentee ballots in the region, at 33,817 as of October 8. Voters in Brunswick County have requested 21,871 absentee ballots, while Pender County voters have requested 4,641, Columbus County 2,536 ballots and Bladen County 1,631 ballots. The deadline to request absentee ballots in North Carolina is Tuesday, October 27.
For more information on how to request an absentee ballot, click here.
Friday, October 9 is the deadline to register by mail to vote in the general election in North Carolina. For information on how to register, click here.
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