Saturday is the final day for early in-person voting in New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia as the nation sits just three days from Election Day.
Here is everything you need to know to cast a last-minute ballot during early voting.
North Carolina is a top swing state this cycle
North Carolina last voted for a Democratic president in 2008, when Sen. Barack Obama won the state by 0.3 points, or 14,177 votes.
Trump pulled out a convincing 3.7-point win in 2016, but that margin shrank to 1.3 points against Biden in 2020.
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Late last month, the Fox News Poll had the two 2024 presidential candidates just a point apart, with Democratic nominee Vice President Harris at 49% and former President Trump at 50%. North Carolina is ranked a toss-up on the Fox News Power Rankings.
The state has become more competitive as its population has grown. Over the last full decade, North Carolina added roughly 1.1 million people, the fourth-largest gain among all states.
Much of that growth has been in urban and suburban areas like those in solidly blue Mecklenburg and Wake counties.
The pandemic brought more wealthy, urban Americans from surrounding states, and there are pockets of college voters as well.
Rural areas have experienced some population decline, but they remain a powerful part of the state’s overall vote, and they vote overwhelmingly Republican.
Here are the key down-ballot races in today’s states
- North Carolina’s 1st District: Democratic Rep. Don Davis won this open seat in the midterms by under five points. This year, he’s up against Army veteran Laurie Buckhout for this northeastern district with a high proportion of Black voters. This race is a toss-up on the Fox News Power Rankings.
- North Carolina’s 13th and 14th Districts: Redistricting shifted both of these seats, once based in Raleigh and Charlotte, into sprawling, predominantly exurban and rural districts. That makes them easy targets for Republicans, who are likely to flip both of them this November. In the 13th district, small businessman Frank Pierce (D) is up against prosecutor Brad Knott (R), and in the 14th, it’s U.S. Army veteran and nurse Pam Genant (D) versus state legislator Tim Moore (R).
- West Virginia Senate: Republicans will kick off the night strong in West Virginia. The seat is held by Sen. Joe Manchin, who decided not to run for re-election earlier this year. The senator’s enduring relationship with West Virginians helped him eke out a three-point win in 2018, but with former President Donald Trump’s nearly 39-point win in the last presidential race, this is deep red territory. Democrats needed Manchin on the ballot to put up a good fight. That victory alone would give Republicans 50 senate seats, or one short of a majority. (If Trump wins the presidential race, the GOP would rule the senate even without a majority because the vice president breaks ties.)
- New Mexico’s 2nd District: New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District occupies most of the southwest land area of the state. It includes Las Cruces and parts of Albuquerque, but it also has a chunk of rural votes. Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez won the district by just 1,350 votes in the midterms; this year, he faces the seat’s former Republican occupant, Yvette Herrell. This is a Power Rankings toss-up.
- Virginia’s 2nd District: Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District was one of the most closely watched races in 2022 and a Republican flip. Rep. Jen Kiggans faces U.S. Navy veteran and small businesswoman Missy Cotter Smasal this time in a military-heavy district that includes Virginia Beach. This is a Lean R race in the Power Rankings.
- Virginia’s 7th District: The north central 7th District stayed in Democratic hands in 2022 thanks to Abigail Spanberger’s strong brand, but she is vacating the seat at the end of this term to run for governor. This will be a face-off between two Army veterans: Democrat Eugene Vindman and Republican Derrick Anderson. The race shifted from Lean D to toss-up in the final Power Rankings before Election Day.
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How to vote in New Mexico
Voters who have received their mail-in ballot have until Nov. 5 to deliver it to local election officials. Saturday is the final day for early in-person voting.
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How to vote in North Carolina
Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to local election officials. Saturday is the final day for early in-person voting.
How to vote in South Carolina
Voters who have received their mail-in ballot have until Nov. 5 to deliver it to local election officials. Saturday is the final day for early in-person voting.
How to vote in West Virginia
Voters who have received their mail-in ballot have until Nov. 5 to deliver it to local election officials. Saturday is the final day for early in-person voting.
How to vote in Virginia
Voters who have received their mail-in ballot have until Nov. 5 to deliver it to local election officials. Saturday is the final day for early in-person voting.
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