More than 45,000 early votes cast in Cumberland County
More than 45,000 people voted early in Cumberland County by the close of early voting on Saturday afternoon, according to the county Board of Elections, which posts updates on voting numbers on its Facebook page.
The total number of ballots cast for early, in person voting was 45,232. In 2018, the last midterm elections, the total number was 46,833, according to Linda Devore, a member of the Board of Elections.
More:WATCH: Fayetteville Observer and WIDU speak to candidates on the ballot in Cumberland County
The early voting period this year was 17 days, beginning on Oct. 20. In 2018, the voting period was 18 days.
However, Devore said in 2018, Cumberland “did not open sites on either Sunday or one of the Saturdays, so we had only 15 days open vs 17 days this year.”
She added: “Having said that, the two Sundays this year had very low turnout, so I call it a wash on (number of) days.”
In keeping with past results, Cliffdale Recreation Center on Cliffdale Road had the most ballots cast out of the county's eight one-stop locations, with 11,451 votes. Stoney Point Recreation Center on Rockfish Road was second with 7,283 votes, followed by College Lakes Recreation Center on Rosehill Road with 7,198 votes cast.
More:Voter Guide 2022: Early voting is underway. Here's what Cumberland voters need to know.
Voting accelerated on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, which were the last three days of in-person, early voting. Friday was the heaviest day with 4,948 votes cast countywide. Saturday was next with 4,400 votes. Thursday was the third best day with 3,365 votes.
Early voting ended at 3 p.m. on Saturday. People who wish to vote in the midterm elections must now wait until Election Day on Tuesday and should vote at their precinct. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
More:Pitts: Before voting, take a look at your sample ballot in Cumberland County and NC
Ted Mohn, a former Fayetteville City Council member who crunches data for local elections for his Facebook page, found that the share of early votes for Democrats, who comprise the largest number of registered voters in the county, fell from 55.4% of the early vote in 2018 to 52% of the vote this year. The Republican share rose by 1.4%.
His figures included both mail and in-person ballots.
The share of Black voters, who make up the largest plurality of voters in the county, also fell from 2018 — from 50.5% of the vote to 46.5% of the vote, according to Mohn's figures for mail and in-person voting. The share of white voters went up from 40.8% to 42.7%, which is just under 2%, from 2018.
For those voting Tuesday: Precinct and other voter information, including a sample ballot, can be found at the county or N.C. State Board of Elections websites.
The Fayetteville Observer has published a Voter Guide and conducted candidate interviews in partnership with the staff at radio station WIDU, 99.7 FM and 1600 AM. The video interviews appear on the WIDU Facebook page.
In the 2018 midterm elections, Cumberland County voters cast a total of 94,192 ballots, which represented 42% of the county’s registered voters, according to the official canvas.
Statewide this year, more than 2 million people have cast ballots, either in-person or by mail.
Karen Brinson Bell, the NC election director, told WRAL: “We've definitely exceeded the 2018 numbers both by mail and in person early voting.”
Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: More than 45,000 early votes cast in Cumberland County
