Turnout Takeaways: Where people did and didn't show up in North Carolina

North Carolina saw lower overall turnout than the 2020 election. But that only tells part of the story

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson walks around a largely inactive Wake Forest precinct on Election Day.

Former President Donald Trump handily carried North Carolina on his path back to the White House. But the Tar Heel state also had enough voters cross party lines to elect a Democratic governor, attorney general, lieutenant governor and win a key congressional race.

Meanwhile, a Republican appears on track to win the state Supreme Court race and Democrats are in a prime position to break the GOP supermajority, though both contests are still too close to officially call.

Overall, North Carolina continues to lean conservative for presidential races, but has complex dynamics at play for local and statewide races. With this in mind, I thought it’d be helpful to dive into the turnout data we have so far. Here’s five things you need to know:

1. Voters are exhausted

Despite North Carolina being a growing state and one that has become more evenly split politically over time, that didn’t translate to greater enthusiasm.