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Strong turnout for NC early voting

Early voting ended in North Carolina over the weekend, and election officials are reporting a strong turnout.

More than 2.1 million North Carolinians have already cast ballots through the mail or at early voting sites, which closed Saturday. That’s about 4 percent higher than at this same time in the 2018 midterms.

Early voters this year have been older on average, compared to 2018, and the percentage of Democrats and African-American voters is down slightly, according to Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University.

Voters are deciding a key Senate race between Democrat Cheri Beasley and Republican Ted Budd, as well as many local races and ballot initiatives.

Polls will open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Voters do not need a photo I-D in North Carolina.

You can find a sample ballot and look up where to vote at NCSBE.gov.

People voting by mail must have their ballots postmarked or hand delivered to their local board of elections office by 5 p.m. Tuesday.