Former President Trump on Monday made a swing through North Carolina, seeking to shore up his support in a crucial battleground state with early voting underway. “I’d like to begin by asking a question.

Early in-person voting has started in the presidential battleground state of North Carolina. That includes in the mountains, where some potential voters still lack power and clean running water after Hurricane Helene’s epic flooding last month.

With the election less than three weeks away, many residents are still reeling from Helene. This has led to some drastic changes to the voting process.

This means that about 13% of the state’s nearly 7.8 million registered voters have already cast their ballots.

The more than 353,000 ballots cast signaled enthusiasm in the battleground state, but the significance of the high turnout was unclear.

“Yesterday’s turnout is a clear sign that voters are energized about this election, that they trust the elections process, and that a hurricane will not stop North Carolinians from exercising their right to vote,” Brinson Bell said in a press release Friday.

Saturday marked the first weekend of early voting in North Carolina. Overall, the state had strong numbers for turnout earlier this week even as western North Carolina continues to recover from Hurricane Helene.

North Carolina set a record for the first day of early voting, but the impact from Hurricane Helene may still depress turnout across the state, The New […]

More North Carolina residents turned out to cast ballots on the first day of early voting this year than in 2020, even as residents from the mountainous western portion of the state continued to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene.