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Beaufort County voters casted their ballots during early voting at a staggering rate – 57.5%, according to the local Board of Elections office. More residents are expected to vote today for the nail-biter presidential election and crucial local contests.

Candidate-elects who are named unofficial winners tonight could change the direction of Beaufort County’s future for at least the next two years. This election, local voters will make their selections for U.S. president, governor, lieutenant governor, North Carolina Senate and House of Representatives, Board of County Commissioners, Board of Education and other competitive matchups. To read candidate profiles collected by the Washington Daily News, click here. 

Make sure to check the Washington Daily News website on Tuesday night for election results.

During early voting, more than 20,000 residents casted their ballots ahead of Election Day. This means, as of Saturday, Nov 2. nearly 15,000 residents had yet to vote. In that two-week period, more than 4.2 million North Carolinians cast their ballots, the State Board of Elections reports. This number far exceeded the an early voting record set in 2020 when more than 3.6 million ballots were cast.

“As of Sunday morning, including absentee voting, 4,465,548 voters have cast their ballot in the 2024 general election. That’s 57 percent of the state’s 7.8 million registered voters,” the North Carolina State Board of Elections reported on Sunday, Nov. 3.

Polls will be open today from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters are required to go to their assigned polling location, not the Board of Elections, which was open during early voting. To find your polling place, visit the state board’s website by clicking here.

The Beaufort County Board of Elections office can accept absentee ballots until polls close. They can also accept mailed military ballots until Nov. 14 if they are post marked by Election Day.

Voters will be asked to provide photo identification when they check-in to vote. Most voters will show their driver’s license; however, many other forms of photo identification can be accepted. Voters who do not have photo ID can meet the photo ID requirement by either (1) filling out a form explaining why they are unable to show ID, or (2) showing their ID at the county board of elections office by 5 p.m. Nov. 14. More information about the photo ID requirement is available at BringItNC.gov.

Voting tips can be found on the North Carolina State Board of Elections’ website at: https://www.ncsbe.gov/news/press-releases/2024/11/04/10-tips-2024-general-election-day-voters-nc