Record Early Voter Turnout In Georgia and North Carolina

North Carolina and Georgia reported a record number of early votes after Hurricane Helene.

North Carolina: North Carolina hit a record turnout of over 353,000 ballots on the first day of early voting. However, political science professor Christopher Cooper urged against premature celebration, saying that high early voting numbers don't mean that Hurricane Helene will not negatively affect overall voter turnout.

Georgia: Georgia also had a record turnout, with 1.4 million voters casting ballots as of Monday morning, accounting for 20% of Georgia's active voters. In 2020, President Biden beat former President Trump by 11,000 votes in Georgia. Early voting started Thursday in North Carolina and Tuesday in Georgia. 

For Context: Hurricane Helene resulted in significant damage or accessibility issues to 10 early voting sites in western North Carolina, but 90% of the sites were up and running. Last year, the city of Asheville cast 33,000 ballots on the first day of early voting. This year, only 8,200 ballots were cast in Asheville, one of the cities hit hardest by Helene. 

How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum highlighted the high voter turnout across the states, noting the lingering effects of Helene on North Carolina. An editor wrote this summary with the help of AllSides AI.