Public participation statistics show how many eligible North Carolina voters took part in elections, and how participation varied by election type, voting method, party, and age. The North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) reports a 73.73% turnout rate in the 2024 general election, compared with 75.35% in 2020 and 68.98% in 2016. The figures below keep each measurement period and geography explicit.
Contents
- General election turnout over time
- Presidential primary participation
- Nonpresidential primary participation
- How North Carolinians voted in 2024
- Participation by party
- Participation by age
General election turnout over time
The NCSBE Voter Turnout figures show a long historical series for North Carolina general elections. In the supplied series, the eligible-voter population rose from 3,270,933 in 1984 to 7,763,502 in 2024. Ballots cast rose from 2,239,051 to 5,723,987 over the same endpoints, although the turnout rate varied substantially by year.
The highest reported rate in this general-election series was 75.35% in 2020, when 5,545,848 ballots were cast among 7,359,798 eligible voters. The 2024 rate was lower at 73.73%, despite a larger eligible-voter total and 5,723,987 ballots cast. The 2016 rate was 68.98%, based on 4,769,640 ballots cast among 6,914,248 eligible voters.
Earlier results provide context for the more recent figures. North Carolina recorded a 68.40% turnout rate in 2012, with 4,540,488 ballots cast and 6,639,131 eligible voters. The 2008 general election reached 69.53%, with 4,354,052 ballots cast among 6,262,566 eligible voters. In 2004, 3,551,675 ballots were cast among 5,526,981 eligible voters, producing a 64.26% rate.
The older NCSBE series reports 58.88% turnout in 2000, when 3,015,964 ballots were cast among 5,122,123 eligible voters. The 1996 rate was 58.76%, with 2,513,357 ballots cast among 4,277,000 eligible voters. Turnout was higher in 1992 at 68.40%, based on 2,611,850 ballots cast among 3,817,380 eligible voters.
For the remaining historical observations, North Carolina recorded 62.19% turnout in 1988, with 2,134,370 ballots cast among 3,432,040 eligible voters, and 68.45% in 1984, with 2,239,051 ballots cast among 3,270,933 eligible voters. These are reported historical measurements from the NCSBE Voter Turnout source; they should not be read as independently reverified estimates.
| General election | Eligible voters | Ballots cast | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 7,763,502 | 5,723,987 | 73.73% |
| 2020 | 7,359,798 | 5,545,848 | 75.35% |
| 2016 | 6,914,248 | 4,769,640 | 68.98% |
| 2012 | 6,639,131 | 4,540,488 | 68.40% |
| 2008 | 6,262,566 | 4,354,052 | 69.53% |
| 2004 | 5,526,981 | 3,551,675 | 64.26% |
| 2000 | 5,122,123 | 3,015,964 | 58.88% |
| 1996 | 4,277,000 | 2,513,357 | 58.76% |
| 1992 | 3,817,380 | 2,611,850 | 68.40% |
| 1988 | 3,432,040 | 2,134,370 | 62.19% |
| 1984 | 3,270,933 | 2,239,051 | 68.45% |
Presidential primary participation
Presidential primary participation was lower than general-election participation in every supplied comparison year. The NCSBE Voter Turnout figures report a 24.14% turnout rate for North Carolina’s 2024 presidential primary, with 1,800,118 ballots cast among 7,456,236 eligible voters. In 2020, the rate was 31.19%, with 2,164,731 ballots cast among 6,940,995 eligible voters.
The 2016 presidential primary produced the highest rate in this supplied presidential-primary series: 35.69%, with 2,323,590 ballots cast among 6,511,143 eligible voters. In 2012, 2,182,675 ballots were cast among 6,296,759 eligible voters, for a 34.66% rate. The 2008 rate was 36.86%, based on 2,182,215 ballots cast among 5,765,303 eligible voters.
Participation was lower in the next three presidential primaries. North Carolina recorded 16.35% turnout in 2004, with 846,542 ballots cast among 5,177,764 eligible voters. The 2000 rate was 17.62%, with 868,593 ballots cast among 4,930,310 eligible voters. In 1996, 781,980 ballots were cast among 4,034,233 eligible voters, producing a 19.38% rate.
The earlier observations were 27.66% in 1992, based on 975,446 ballots cast among 3,527,187 eligible voters, and 29.88% in 1988, based on 953,759 ballots cast among 3,191,502 eligible voters. These election-specific figures describe participation in North Carolina presidential primaries, not general elections.
Nonpresidential primary participation
The supplied NCSBE series also reports North Carolina primary turnout for 1990 through 2026. The latest reported observation is the 2026 primary: 1,511,050 ballots cast among 7,664,465 eligible voters, for a 19.72% turnout rate. The 2022 primary recorded 1,432,819 ballots cast among 7,236,469 eligible voters, producing a 19.80% rate.
The 2018 primary had a 14.35% turnout rate, with 957,627 ballots cast among 6,674,290 eligible voters. In 2014, 1,028,600 ballots were cast among 6,516,126 eligible voters, for a 15.79% rate. The 2010 primary recorded 14.41% turnout, based on 880,128 ballots cast among 6,105,831 eligible voters.
The 2006 primary had the lowest rate in the supplied series at 11.92%, with 651,086 ballots cast among 5,460,054 eligible voters. The 2002 rate was 21.21%, with 1,060,667 ballots cast among 4,999,736 eligible voters. North Carolina recorded 17.71% turnout in 1998, based on 805,319 ballots cast among 4,547,438 eligible voters.
The older results show 12.16% turnout in 1994, with 430,838 ballots cast among 3,544,095 eligible voters, and 17.11% in 1990, with 538,651 ballots cast among 3,147,867 eligible voters. Because the 2026 figure is a future-dated measurement relative to the article’s publication date, it is presented as reported rather than as a forecast or an extrapolation.
How North Carolinians voted in 2024
The NCSBE 2024 General Election Turnout source breaks the 2024 general-election total into participation channels. It reports 4,214,782 voters in early voting, 298,076 absentee-by-mail voters, 1,175,854 in-person Election Day voters, and 17,149 provisional voters. The same source reports total turnout of 5,705,861 voters in this breakdown.
The source separately reports 4,521,953 voters in the 2024 absentee-and-early-voting total. Within that category, civilian absentee voting accounted for 266,168 voters, military absentee voting for 10,500, and overseas absentee voting for 21,533. These categories describe the source’s reported participation counts and are retained without adding unsupported calculations.
The channel figures are not identical to the historical turnout-series total of 5,723,987 ballots cast for the 2024 general election. Both measurements are therefore labeled by their source presentation rather than combined. The relevant source is the NCSBE 2024 General Election Turnout, and the measurement period is the 2024 North Carolina general election.
Participation by party
The 2024 NCSBE turnout breakdown reports party-specific voter counts and turnout rates. Republican voters recorded 1,876,744 voters at a 79.8% turnout rate, while Democratic voters recorded 1,797,064 voters at 73.1%. Unaffiliated voters accounted for 1,983,669 voters at a 66.9% rate.
The smaller reported party and label categories also show different participation rates. Constitution Party voters recorded 435 voters at 78.5%. Green Party voters recorded 2,464 voters at 67.4%. Justice For All recorded 351 voters at 68.7%. Libertarian Party voters recorded 28,460 voters at 57.0%.
No Labels recorded 15,662 voters at 61.7%, while We The People recorded 1,012 voters at 71.6%. These values are party or label-specific measurements for North Carolina’s 2024 general election, not national participation rates or estimates for the broader population.
The absentee-and-early-voting subset shows lower reported rates for each of the larger categories. Republican absentee-and-early-voting participation was 1,498,842 voters at 63.8%, Democratic participation was 1,464,192 at 59.6%, and unaffiliated participation was 1,525,608 at 51.5%.
For the smaller categories in that subset, Constitution Party participation was 341 voters at 61.6%, Green Party participation was 1,831 at 50.1%, and Justice For All participation was 266 at 52.1%. Libertarian Party participation was 18,947 voters at 37.9%, and No Labels participation was 11,133 voters at 43.9%. The source also reports the party-specific absentee-and-early-voting figures as 2024 measurements.
Participation by age
Age differences are pronounced in the NCSBE 2024 General Election Turnout figures. Voters ages 18–25 cast 599,900 ballots, with a 57.4% turnout rate. Voters ages 26–40 cast 1,208,084 ballots at a 61.1% rate.
Participation was higher among older age groups. Voters ages 41–65 cast 2,400,621 ballots, with a 79.2% turnout rate. Voters ages 66 and older cast 1,497,256 ballots at an 83.2% rate, the highest reported age-group percentage in this 2024 breakdown.
These measurements make the age pattern clear without requiring an unsupported explanation of why the rates differ: the reported rate is 25.8 percentage points higher for voters ages 66 and older than for voters ages 18–25, while the two groups’ ballot counts are also different. The figures are for the North Carolina 2024 general election and should not be generalized to other states, election years, or forms of public participation without additional evidence.