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According to new data released by North Carolina, the state has surpassed its previous early-voting record, with more than 4.2 million residents casting ballots at early in-person voting sites.

Getting into it: According to new data released by North Carolina, the state has surpassed its early-voting record set in 2020, with more than 4.2 million voters casting their ballots at early in-person sites. This represents a significant increase from the previous record of 3.63 million early voters. Including absentee ballots, the total number of votes cast as of Sunday morning reached 4,465,548, accounting for approximately 57% of the state’s 7.8 million registered voters.

Voter turnout in the 25 western counties affected by Hurricane Helene was particularly strong, reaching 58.9%, which is 2% higher than the overall statewide turnout.

State board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell reacted to the early voting numbers, saying, “I am proud of all of our 100 county boards of elections and the thousands of election workers who are making this happen in their communities. And I am especially proud of the workers and voters of Western North Carolina. You are an inspiration to us all.”

Digging deeper: This development comes as new data released by ad tracking firm AdImpact shows that the Harris-Walz presidential campaign had redirected millions in advertising away from major North Carolina media markets in the final week before the election. Despite a tightly contested race, recent statewide polls show Harris and Trump tied at 47%, with Trump leading in several North Carolina regions outside of Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill.