Mecklenburg County hits early voting record, officials say

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Election officials are seeing more early voters than ever before in Mecklenburg County.

They said Thursday was a historic day with 21,800 people casting ballots, the most early voters ever in one day.

The supervisor of elections in Mecklenburg County told Channel 9’s Blaine Tolison that officials expect 50 to 60 percent of registered voters to cast their ballots before Election Day on Nov. 8.

The number of early voting sites increased Thursday from 10 to 22.

The total number of early voters is about 5,000 fewer than the total in 2012, but election officials believe that Mecklenburg County will surpass those numbers.

“Every presidential (election) brings folks out, more people than we usually have voting in the election,” said Mecklenburg County supervisor of elections Michael Dickerson. “Plus the fact, just the standard growth that you have in Mecklenburg County. We’re up to about 700,000 registered voters."

Early voting wraps up at 1 p.m Nov. 5.

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