2026 Voter Guide

Election Day is in one week, and there are five days of early voting remaining. The share of registered Republicans who have voted so far is down compared to the 2018 and 2022 midterms.

Ken McCool considered himself an apolitical person for much of his life. That changed when his class at Providence High School was visited by a state politician: Tricia Cotham, a Democrat who had graduated from the school in 1997. She spoke to the class about her work in the legislature, igniting in McCool an interest in running for public office.

Latino voters in Mecklenburg County have cast far more early ballots in this year’s midterm election than at the same point in 2022.

Early voting numbers have already far surpassed numbers from this point in the 2022 midterm election, according to data from the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections. But the numbers don't just reflect voter enthusiasm — compared with data from the last midterm, it also seems to reflect voter anxiety.

Nearly 260 mail-in ballots in Mecklenburg County have been rejected because voters failed to seal an envelope inside another envelope. Voting rights groups worry some voters won’t be able to cast replacement ballots.

The first full week of early voting is underway in North Carolina, and so far, data show that Democrats and unaffiliated voters are turning out in much higher numbers than Republicans.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley campaigned alongside President Donald Trump in Greenville on Tuesday night, attacking Democrat Roy Cooper’s record as governor on issues including crime and COVID-19 restrictions.

Elon University's final poll before the midterm finds former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper leading Michael Whatley by 13 percentage points. Poll officials say the lead is driven by moderates, independents, Blacks, Hispanics and women.

A year ago, Republican state lawmakers redrew North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District to make it more conservative. But as Election Day draws near, incumbent Congressman Don Davis appears to have an increasingly strong shot at keeping his seat.

In 2024, Republican Stacie McGinn lost to Democrat Woodson Bradley by a mere 209 votes for a seat in the North Carolina Senate. This year, the two women are set for a rematch expected to be a close call yet again.