Early voting record set in Buncombe County, as nearly 100K cast ballots

The total accounted for nearly 44% of registered voters in the county.

Signs at the entrance of the Leicester Community Center, one of the early voting sites in Buncombe County.

Asheville's 828 News NOWDean Hensley | 828NewsNowSigns at the entrance of the Leicester Community Center, one of the early voting sites in Buncombe County.

Early voting for the 2026 midterm election drew to a close at 3 p.m. on Oct. 31 in Buncombe County, and after all the votes were tallied, the county had set a record.

According to the Buncombe County Board of Elections, 96,838 voters had participated in early voting at the county’s 13 polling sites. That total represented 43.97% of registered voters in the county.

The South Buncombe Branch Library had the highest total at 12,778, and Weaverville Community Center was a close second at 11,652.

Registered Democratic voters outnumbered registered Republican voters by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. There were 40,690 Democrats, and there were 14,800 Republicans. There were also 41,003 unaffiliated voters.

According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, nearly 3 million votes were cast in early voting in the state. At the end of the day on Oct. 31, the last day for early voting, there were 2,816,828 votes cast.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voting sites will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Anyone in line by 7:30 p.m. will be allowed to vote. State voters can find their voting site by going to the State Board of Elections polling site search tool.